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Herby Bread-and-Butter Stuffing for Two
![Herby Bread-and-Butter Stuffing for Two](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/11/11/dining/06apperex2-stuffing/merlin_179473458_8a32307b-8128-44ce-aa4b-dd0a5e3ce787-articleLarge.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- 3tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan
- 1large or 2 small shallots, diced
- ¼teaspoon kosher salt, plus a large pinch
- 1teaspoon chopped fresh marjoram or thyme leaves (or use a large pinch of dried)
- ½ to ¾cup turkey, chicken or vegetable broth
- 1egg
- ¼cup chopped fresh soft herbs (use 2 or 3 of the following: parsley, tarragon, chives, mint, basil, cilantro, dill or celery leaves)
- About 2½ cups torn-up stale white or whole-wheat bread, not too crusty (3 ounces)
- Black pepper
Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a small, shallow gratin dish, casserole dish or loaf pan with a 3- to 4-cup capacity.
- Step 2
In a small skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Stir in shallots and a large pinch of salt. Cook until soft and just starting to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in marjoram and cook for 1 minute longer.
- Step 3
In a medium bowl, whisk together ½ cup broth, egg, chopped herbs and ¼ teaspoon salt. Fold in bread and shallots, letting the bread absorb the liquid. It should be very moist. (If the mixture seems dry, add more stock a little at a time, using up to another ¼ cup.)
- Step 4
Spoon stuffing into the prepared baking dish and grind some black pepper onto the top. Cut the remaining tablespoon butter into small pieces and scatter over the top. Bake until golden brown and firm, about 30 minutes. Serve hot or warm.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
Stuffing is often THE most traditional part of the Thanksgiving meal. This is a good recipe, but I would need to use a good sourdough wheat or levain bread. I would sauté 1/2 C diced celery with the shallots, followed by a quick sauté of 1 C sliced mushrooms. So feel free to add the ingredients or spices and herbs that will bring back your fondest memory of a Thanksgiving stuffing. To all those who will point out that this is “dressing” not “stuffing,” remember, “you say tomato, I say tomahto!”
Very good suggestions which illustrate the flexibility of a good recipe. I would need to omit the egg. No problem there, just add a bit more stock. As far as stuffing or dressing: you could use a bit less stock and stuff the bird with it, making it inarguably stuffing. Or, pour some pan drippings into it, and no one will ever know, except how delicious it is.
To prepare fresh bread, just tear up or cut bread roughly and toast lightly i a 250 or 300 F oven for a few minutes. If it seems to have dried out too much, just add more moisture (speaking from experience).
I have to start off by saying I’m not a stuffing/dressing person but I saw this photo and immediately thought, “now that’s something I think I can get behind.” Although Thanksgiving is happening on a much smaller scale, I still wanted it feel special with amazing food. Today I experimented with some recipes that I’ve been eyeballing, just to get a feel for timing and flow. This dressing recipe was on my list and it was everything! Crunchy, chewy, savory and anything but mushy. Loved it!
Dressing, is traditionally served alongside the turkey, if you grew up in the backwoods of South Carolina. Stuffing, however, is called that because it is literally stuffed in the turkey. So, yes, this is dressing. Not stuffing. It's a preparation thing, not a terminology. If you grew up in the backwoods of South Carolina, of course.
This is exceptionally good! The egg and broth make for a wonderfully light texture, unlike other dressings I have made. I used more traditional herbs (thyme, rosemary and sage), sautéing them in step 2. I wasn't quite up for dill, basil or cilantro in my dressing, but to each their own. It was the texture of the final product that set this apart.
Lol, no one cares if you call it dressing or stuffing.
I love these tips, esp the celery which I always find to be such a crucial element in stuffing. Yum...can’t wait. Any ideas on how to stale the bread? Maybe tear/cut it a day before and just leave out until the day?
I’ve never made stuffing before; but tried this recipe because of all the fresh herbs. I bought a half-loaf of garlic sourdough bread and a half-loaf of rosemary sourdough bread to use instead of plain bread. I don’t think the extra butter pieces on top are needed; but this the best stuffing I’ve ever had. I will be baking this more often than once a year. I highly recommend this recipe.
substitute olive oil for butter Before putting in oven, cook in cast iron skillet for 20 min on low. That makes the bottom crusty, too
Not at all. I always use egg. It helps keep it a bit moist and holds it together.
Excellent dish. I added an apple and used my challah bread.I used about 3/4 cup homemade stock and I did use the egg.
Needed 4 more servings than planned so tripled the ingredients. Used pain au levain for the bread and added 2 cups of mushrooms, which I sautéed in the same pan I’d just cooked the shallots in. Mushrooms added flavor and texture. The result was fabulous and a lot less fussy than other recipes for stuffing I’ve used in the past. Who needs sausage?
This is basically the stuffing I’ve made for more than 15 years. I have laid a turkey half or spatchcocked chicken over the stuffing and roasted it covered for 20 minutes and uncovered for 20-30. Always turns out with plenty of crispy, buttery, crunchy yum and a beautiful roasted bird on top. I do prefer Ciabatta for the bread and add chopped rosemary and sage as well as thyme because I love the flavor. I sometimes add sautéed finely diced and sautéed celery for my husband.
A propos Karen's comment about Thanksgiving traditions, in addition to adding celery and mushrooms, I added chestnuts.
.25 cup fresh herbs = 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon
be sure to use a small enough pan that the stuffing is at least 2" deep or thick. otherwise it might be dry by the time the top is crisp.
How do you prevent little bits of cooked egg creeping into the dressing, leaving white spots ... it looks like scrambled egg mixed in with the bread etc. Did my mother's stuffing include egg? I don't think so.
Be sure to thoroughly mix the broth and egg before adding to the bread. Stuffing, which goes insided the bird, should not have eggs. Dressing, which is baked outside the bird, often includes eggs. This recipe turned out great for me!
Fantastic! I added celery, because I love the taste and the crunch. This will be my go-to dressing recipe from now on.
Followed other suggestions to add celery and mushrooms, and used thyme and rosemary and then parsley. Turned out great!
Added mushrooms. Otherwise, followed the recipe and it was delicious! Perfect size for four servings.
- Cube/tear bread into 1” cubes. Bake at 275 degrees for about 40-50min. - 1 celery stock, diced - 1/4 C diced apple (optional) - can use oregano in place of marjoram - likely need more than 1/2 C vegetable stock
This was a perfect size for my daughter and me to enjoy this Thanksgiving- we only had a small amount that didn’t get eaten. From a taste perspective, it was buttery and soft in the middle with crispy end pieces. Loved the addition of so many herbs. Will definitely make again.
Mint? Not sage? Nope.
Doubled the recipe, after adding about 3/5 c of celery and a generous handful of mushroom. Came out really beautifully. Makes enough for eight small servings as part of the festive meal.
IMO sage should be the major spice of stuffing. This came from my Grandmother who was born in 1888.
I’m going to try this with Simple Kneads gluten free sourdough bread. I’ll post about how it went after Thanksgiving!
Use leftover biscuits instead of bread.
This was DELICIOUS. Made it in a loaf pan and it came out great. Highly recommend!
Stuffing was cooked inside the bird, dressing was cook outside the bird in the oven. Here in New England… the stuffing was often with giblets … the dressing was child friendly… for the kids table.
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