Sourdough Stuffing Recipe With Fresh Herbs
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Mar 8, 2022 • 2 min read
Upgrade your average Thanksgiving stuffing with this sourdough stuffing recipe, which uses tangy, day-old sourdough bread for a uniquely hearty take on a classic side dish.
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What Is Sourdough Stuffing?
Sourdough stuffing is a mixture of sourdough bread cubes, vegetables, seasonings, and turkey broth cooked on the stove, in the oven, or inside a roast turkey. Chefs typically serve stuffing as a side dish during Thanksgiving dinner to soak up the turkey drippings, cranberry relish, and other saucy items on the plate. In contrast to a classic Italian or French bread stuffing, sourdough stuffing relies on cubes of this hearty, day-old bread for a pleasantly tangy twist on this traditional side dish.
3 Tips for Making Sourdough Stuffing
Follow these tips to make the best sourdough stuffing possible.
- 1. Use toasted or day-old bread. Whether you’re using homemade sourdough bread or a store-bought loaf of sourdough, fresh bread has a high moisture content, leading to soggy stuffing. Dried-out bread maintains its toothsome texture while soaking up all the flavors of the other ingredients. The day before cooking your sourdough stuffing, cube your bread and toast it, then leave it out overnight on a baking sheet to dry.
- 2. Build layers of flavor. If you’re baking the stuffing separately from the turkey, it won’t soak up all that flavor from the drippings of the roasting bird. Sweating your aromatic veggies—or sautéeing them together with a small amount of fat—and seasoning before adding to your stuffing makes the most flavorful dish.
- 3. Cook thoroughly. Cook this dish thoroughly so that moisture from the broth evaporates, concentrating those classic flavors and resulting in a spongy, tender sourdough bread stuffing.
Easy Sourdough Stuffing Recipe
makes
prep time
15 mintotal time
1 hr 30 mincook time
1 hr 15 minIngredients
Note: The total time does not include 10 minutes of inactive time.
- 1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease an 8-inch baking dish with butter or nonstick cooking spray. Alternatively, if you’re planning on cooking the stuffing inside a turkey, preheat the oven to the temperature at which you plan to roast your bird.
- 2
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter.
- 3
Add the onion, leek, carrots, celery, and fennel to the melted butter, and sauté the vegetables until they are soft, translucent, and barely starting to brown, about 8–10 minutes.
- 4
Stir in the fresh herbs and season generously with salt and pepper.
- 5
Transfer the vegetable mixture to a large bowl to let cool slightly.
- 6
Add the cubed bread to the bowl with the vegetable mixture.
- 7
Whisk the broth and eggs together in a large measuring cup, and pour the mixture over the sourdough bread cubes.
- 8
Stir to combine and ensure even distribution.
- 9
Transfer the mixture to the buttered baking dish, cover with foil, and bake for 45 minutes.
- 10
Remove the foil from the baking dish and bake until the homemade stuffing is golden brown on top and set in the middle, about 20 more minutes.
- 11
Allow the stuffing to cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes, and serve.
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