Bread Dressing
This old-fashioned bread dressing recipe comes from Dorothy Dean, the pen name behind The Spokesman-Review's test kitchen in Spokane from 1935 to 1983. Toasted white bread cubes, butter, celery, onion, and poultry seasoning bake up into a big 4-quart dish that feeds 12 to 14 people. It's the classic Thanksgiving side that lets everybody get a crispy edge piece, and you can assemble it the day before.
Servings 12
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Pounds White Bread cut into cubes
- 1½ Cups Butter
- 2 Cups Celery chopped
- 1½ Cups Onion chopped
- ¼ Cup Parsley minced
- 3½ teaspoons Poultry Seasoning
- 1½ teaspoons Salt
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 3 Cups Broth or Bouillon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300℉.
- Toast the bread in the oven until crisp.
- Place the bread in a large bowl.
- Simmer the celery and onions in the butter for 10-15 minutes.
- Pour the vegetable and butter mixture over the bread.
- Add the parsley and seasonings and toss lightly.
- Add enough broth or bouillon to reach the desired consistency.
- Press lightly into a 4-quart baking dish.
- Cover and bake at 325℉ for about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
- Remove the cover and bake for another 15-20 minutes.
Notes
Helpful Tips
- Don't skip the toasting step. Ten minutes at 300°F is the difference between dressing and bread pudding. Dry cubes drink up the broth and hold their shape. Wet bread turns to paste.
- Day-old bread works even better. If your loaf has been sitting out overnight, you're already halfway there. Toast it anyway; just watch it more closely since it'll crisp faster.
- Cut your cubes about the same size. Half-inch is a good target. Wildly different sizes mean some pieces turn to mush while others stay hard in the middle.
- Chop the celery and onion small. Nobody wants to bite into a big chunk of celery. Small pieces disappear into the dressing and spread the flavor everywhere.
- Simmer the vegetables low and slow. The full 10 to 15 minutes matters. You want them soft and sweet, not browned, and butter scorches fast over high heat.
- Pour the butter and vegetables over the bread while hot. The warm butter coats the cubes better, and the bread soaks it right up.
- Toss lightly. Seriously. Stir it like you mean it, and you'll break the cubes apart. A gentle fold keeps the texture.
- Add the broth a little at a time. Older or drier bread may need more than 3 cups. Newer bread may need slightly less. You want the cubes moist but not swimming.
- Press it in lightly, not hard. Packing it down tight makes it dense. A light press is enough to get an even layer.
- Taste before it goes in the oven. This is your only chance to fix the salt. If your broth is already salty, you may need less than the recipe calls for.
- Uncover it at the end if you want a crispy top. Bake covered for 1.5 hours. Remove the lid for the last 15 to 20 minutes for browning.
- Use an internal temp check if you're nervous. 165°F in the center means it's done and safe.
- Make it a day ahead. Assemble, cover, refrigerate, and add about 15 minutes to the bake since it's going in cold.