- Many different breads can make the best stuffing. A range of grocery-store white, sourdough and a mix of breads make our list.
- Chefs are torn on if the dish is better baked in the bird or outside. You get to pick your preferred method.
- The best stuffing is about more than type of bread. Make sure to use stale bread, or toast it, to prevent mushy stuffing.
Mashed potatoes are too starchy for my taste and I never developed a palate for pumpkin pie. In other words, traditional Thanksgiving food has never really been my thing. For the last six years, my husband and I have gone out for Korean barbecue instead of spending all day basting a bird. But there’s one Thanksgiving dish that I love at any time of year: stuffing.
Growing up, I was accustomed to my grandmother’s extra-buttery, in-turkey preparation of a Stove Top mix. But as an adult food writer, I now realize that stuffing can mean any mixture heated inside a roasting fowl. (Dressing is the same thing, but baked in its own dish.) Before preparing my own seasonal favorite this year, I decided to talk to some of America’s top chefs to find out how they make stuffing or dressing. They all agreed that bread choice is paramount. These are the breads and tips that they say will make your holiday meal your best yet.
The Best Bread for Stuffing
Supermarket White Bread
Chef and author Alex Guarnaschelli has no pretensions when it comes to her traditional Thanksgiving stuffing. “I make my father’s recipe every year, and he used sliced white bread from the supermarket. I love it,” she says. Guarnaschelli remembers her father spending hours cooking and stitching up their turkey every Thanksgiving morning.
She says that sliced white bread imparts a “warm, slightly toasty flavor” if prepared correctly. That work includes toasting, buttering and salting each slice before cutting it and mixing it with the other ingredients. This bread may be for you if you want to taste nostalgia with every bite.
Sourdough
Geoffrey Zakarian is a chef and chairman of City Harvest Food Council. He says that when he’s home cooking for his family this year, he’ll be using sourdough bread for his dressing. “Sourdough is best. It has great flavor and taste and crunch, and it really absorbs the other stuffing flavors,” he explains. In his case, those flavors include lots of fresh sage and parsley. Choose sourdough if you want bread with some tang but that’s tame enough to be a crowd-pleaser.
A Mix of Breads
Chef and author Judy Joo doesn’t stop at just one loaf for her dressing. She uses four: “a combo of sturdy sourdough for that tangy chew; sweet cornbread for subtle moisture and corn flecks; challah for eggy, buttery goodness; and a classic white or French bread for lightness.” She says that guests rave about how there’s a surprise in every bite. “It ensures that the stuffing isn’t monotonous,” she adds.
Culinary director Julian Eckhardt is part of why Virginia’s The Inn at Little Washington can claim two Michelin stars. At the Inn, he along with chef and sole proprietor Patrick O’Connell “use a mix of rosemary cornbread and Tuscan Italian breads for a dual texture in our stuffing,” he says. Why? “The cornbread helps to provide a taste of the South and is a truly American offering. The Tuscan bread has better binding and absorption qualities for the dripping and providing cohesion with the other components,” he explains. Using a mix of breads means everyone has what they love and gives your stuffing the best of multiple bread worlds.
Tips for Making Delicious Stuffing
Don’t Be Afraid to Think Outside the Bird
Though stuffing is, by definition, what you’ll find inside the turkey, our chef experts are divided on whether it’s better to stuff or not to stuff. “[Stuffing] absorbs all those natural juices and gently steams outward, helping keep the meat moist, tender and beautifully succulent,” argues Eckhardt.
Guarnaschelli shares that she’s personally “particularly fond of the additional taste and moisture that cooking inside the bird gives.” However, she’s quick to jump to the defense of cooks who prefer dressing. “Dressing cooked on the side with a little ladle of gravy or turkey drippings on top is also super delicious,” she says.
Zakarian and Joo are both dressing devotees. “It cooks more evenly without the risk of uneven temperatures or food safety concerns from the turkey’s juices, and it lets those crispy bits really shine,” explains Joo. “Plus, it’s easier to scale up for a crowd and customize flavors without altering the bird itself.”
Use Stale Bread
One of the worst fates that can befall an otherwise flavorful stuffing is a mushy texture. Besides making sure that you have the right amount of broth, the best way to do this is to use oven-dried or toasted bread. Eckhardt recommends: “Stale and dry your bread so it soaks up flavor without becoming overly damp and wet.”
“It’s all about that perfect balance of custardy-soft interior and crispy, golden edges,” adds Joo of the ideal final product. She also warns not to overmix your ingredients.
Lead with Your Imagination, but Don’t Go Too Far
Joo says that she delights in “extras” like sausage or chestnuts. Herbs, including sage, thyme and parsley, should go in at the end of cooking to preserve their brightness. “This builds a flavor base that’s miles beyond boxed mixes,” she says.
Eckhardt is even more creative in his definition of the best stuffing. “Anything you can tuck into the cavity of a bird!” he exclaims. “Traditionally bread, but potatoes, rice, vegetables, nuts, meats and even fruit can make a great stuffing.” If you’re using bread (or even if you’re not), he enjoys the inclusion of sausage as much as Joo does, but also recommends oysters or giblets.
Still, Guarnaschelli warns not to get overambitious on the big day. “Keep it simple,” she says. “Don’t overload the bird with expensive or weird ingredients. It’s just not what the people want, and you will be happier.”
The Bottom Line
Time and again, stuffing is voted America’s favorite Thanksgiving side dish. Whether or not you’re a fan, your Turkey Day guests are relying on you to get it on the table. And if there’s one opinion that our chef experts share, it’s that using your creativity to craft a unique stuffing is a big part of the fun of preparing the most important meal of the year. Whichever bread you choose, their tips are sure to prime you for delicious success on the big day.
