Classic Buttery Bread Stuffing
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This bread stuffing recipe has everything you crave in a holiday side: richly-buttered hunks of bread, tender onions and celery, and a full array of fresh herbs to evoke everything you love about fall and winter. After years of experimentation, this is the simple, cozy recipe we come back to again and again. Easy to make ahead, too!
Stuffing was without a doubt my favorite Thanksgiving side dish as a kid. I can’t say that’s a big shock; after all, it has crusty bread, plenty of butter, tons of fresh herbs, and, if you stick to the classic type, not too much else to make children suspicious.
As an adult, however, I found the truly perfect stuffing recipe surprisingly challenging to master. I’m delighted that now, after years of cooking and hosting holidays, I can say this is the recipe we count on again and again. It is carefully designed to have just the right amount of moisture—the bread cubes ought to be tender but not-at-all soggy—ample seasoning, and an irresistibly crisp and buttery top layer.
Serve this alongside a roast chicken or herb-crusted turkey breast to win hearts.
And yes: I am aware this is technically a “dressing” because it is baked outside the bird. In my Pennsylvania hometown, no one ever called it dressing, no matter where it was baked, so that is just not in my personal lexicon. Whatever you call it, it’s delicious!
Why You’ll Love This Bread Stuffing Recipe
- Absolutely classic flavor—if you want nostalgia, this is it
- Tons of herbs—this is the key to big flavor
- Built-in adjustments so you get the right texture each time, based on your bread cubes
- A little extra butter on top makes it magical
- Easy to make and really easy to make ahead of time
Ingredient Notes
Bread Stuffing, Step by Step
This is a very traditional stuffing assembly method, based on instructions from an old issue of Cook’s Illustrated with a little family flourish added here and there.
Fantastic stuffing begins with dry bread. If you have a couple of days, just lay the bread out on a baking sheet, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let it dry out naturally. If you’re in a hurry, stick the baking sheet in a 300°F oven for 10-20 minutes. You can cube the bread before or after drying it out.
When ready to assemble, start by melting an entire stick of butter in a large skillet. Sauté the onion and celery in this until nice and soft.
Add garlic and all the fresh herbs. Cook for another couple of minutes until it all smells irresistible.
Herb Handling
Include just the leaves of the herbs; for best flavor and texture, discard all or most of the stems. Fresh herbs are really best for exceptional stuffing, but in a pinch by all means substitute 2 teaspoons of each dried. If you have just a few fresh sprigs, use dried herbs in the onion-celery mixture and reserve your fresh herbs to scatter on top after the stuffing is baked.
While this mixture is going, you’ll have a few minutes to whisk together what I think of as your binding blend: a combination of eggs and chicken or vegetable broth.
Pour the onion and herb mixture directly over the bread cubes in a very large bowl—you want extra room for tossing it around—and stir well to combine. Ideally you want some herbs coating each cube of bread.
Now pour the egg-broth mixture on top a little bit at a time. Stir as you go. The key is to get all of the bread cubes softened, but not waterlogged. If this means not adding the last bit of broth mixture, that is OK!
Scoop the bread mixture out into a 9×13-inch baking pan and celebrate: stuffing is on the way!
You can either bake it right now—approximately 50 minutes at 375°F—or cover tightly with foil and tuck away.
Make Ahead and Storage Tips
- To Make Ahead: This stuffing can be fully assembled, tightly covered, and refrigerated for up to 2 days prior to baking. You may need to add an extra 5-10 minutes to the baking time if taking it straight from fridge to oven.
- To Store: Leftover stuffing keeps well in the refrigerator for at least 3-4 days.
Dot with Butter and Extra Herbs
My favorite trick to the most irresistible stuffing is to dot the top with a little extra butter during the last part of the baking time. You can either just add dots of butter on top, or melt it first and brush it all over.
Be sure to reserve a few fresh herbs to sprinkle on top of the pan after it bakes all the way through. This tastes fresh and looks pretty!
More Cozy Side Dishes
- Cinnamon Honey Butter Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes
- Instant Pot Creamed Corn
- Glazed Carrots with Pistachios and Pomegranate
- Simple Homemade Cranberry Sauce
- Parmesan and Herb-Crusted Red Potatoes
Classic Buttery Bread Stuffing
Ingredients
- 15 cups dried bread cubes from one large or two medium loaves of bread, a little more or less is fine
- 1/2 cup plus 3 Tablespoons butter divided
- 1 large yellow or sweet onion peeled and chopped
- 4-5 ribs celery
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 4-5 cloves garlic minced
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh sage
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 2 large eggs
- 2 and 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- extra fresh herbs for sprinkling
Instructions
- Dry out the bread cubes if necessary, then place them all in a very large bowl.15 cups dried bread cubes
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly coat a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.
- Melt the ½ cup butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then stir in the onion and celery. Add ¾ teaspoon each of kosher salt and black pepper, or more to taste. Cook for 5-8 minutes, until softened.1/2 cup plus 3 Tablespoons butter, 1 large yellow or sweet onion, 4-5 ribs celery, kosher salt and black pepper
- Add garlic, parsley, sage, thyme, and rosemary to the skillet. Cook for 1-2 minutes more, until very fragrant, then remove from the heat.4-5 cloves garlic, 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh sage, 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh thyme, 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
- Crack the eggs into a bowl or large liquid measuring cup, give them a quick whisk, then pour the broth on top. Whisk well to combine, then set aside.2 large eggs, 2 and 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- Pour the onion and herb mixture over the bread cubes; stir well.
- Pour the broth mixture over the bread cubes a little at a time, stirring in between each addition. If the cubes start to look very soggy, stop; don’t add the rest of the broth. They should all be softened, but not waterlogged.
- Scoop the mixture out into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 45-55 minutes, until warmed throughout, with a golden brown top and crisp edges. After the stuffing has been in for about 25 minutes, dot or brush the top with the remaining 3 Tablespoons butter.
- After adding the butter, check the stuffing periodically; if the top starts to look too brown, cover with foil for the rest of the baking time.
- Remove from the oven and let rest for 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle a few more fresh herbs on top, and tent with foil if needed to keep it warm a bit longer.extra fresh herbs
- Dig in and enjoy!
Notes
- Type of Bread: I used to worry a lot (OK, a little) about the type of bread I used to make stuffing, but have decided it makes less difference than some would have you believe. My favorites are Italian or French bread; sourdough is a treat. Just use some bread with a little bit of heft to it, as opposed to very cheap white sandwich bread (Wonder bread or similar). The BEST approach if it’s no trouble is to mix types—part white and part whole grain, part French and part sourdough, etc.
- Drying the Bread: If you have 2-3 days to wait, just lay out the slices or cubes of bread on a large rimmed baking sheet, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and set out on a counter to dry naturally. I have cut them into cubes before/after drying and don’t find it matters much. If you’re in a hurry, dry the slices out for 10-20 minutes in a 300°F oven. They’re ready when they’re crisp on the outside but have a very small amount of give in the centers.
- Preparing the Herbs: Be sure to include just the leaves of the herbs; for best flavor and texture, pull off the leaves to chop and discard all or most of the stems.
- Fresh vs. Dried Herbs: Fresh herbs are really best for exceptional stuffing, but in a pinch by all means substitute dried herbs. Use 2 teaspoons of each herb, dried. If you have just a little bit of fresh herbs and don’t want to run to the store, use dried herbs in the onion-celery mixture and reserve your fresh herbs to scatter on top after the stuffing is baked.
- Make Ahead: This stuffing can be fully assembled, tightly covered, and refrigerated for up to 2 days prior to baking.
- Storage: Leftover stuffing keeps well in the refrigerator for at least 3-4 days.
