Traditional Stuffing

This is the recipe we use for holiday stuffing. Our nieces wanted the recipe, but of course, a simple list of ingredients and verbal instruction might leave them a little bewildered, so we decided to archive the recipe on the blog. Enjoy girls. :-)

Stuffing Ingredients
1 12 oz bag of toasted bread cubes
1/2 20 oz loaf of square store brand sandwich bread, hand cubed
2 sticks butter
1/2 medium onion, peeled, washed and finely chopped
5 stalks celery, trimmed, washed and finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning, split into (3) 1/2 tsp portions Link
4 c chicken stock Link

This is what the bread cubes and sandwich bread look like that we use. There are a variety of bread cube products on the market, but some of them have ingredients my wife can't have and they are generally very small portions that tend to be expensive. We want the toasted cubes to help add a little structure to the mix and the sandwich bread to add volume. The square sandwich bread is easier to cube with a long knife which is why we use it. I would like to point out that these two items only cost $3.00. If we used the same volume of other products specifically marketed for stuffing, it would cost over $10.00. If you are making a large quantity for a large family dinner, this can add up quickly.

Melt 1 1/2 sticks of butter in a saute pan. When the butter has melted, add the celery, onion and 1/2 tsp of poultry seasoning. Saute until the onions are translucent and then turn off the heat (about 10-15 minutes on medium heat).

Preheat the oven to 350 bake. In a large pot or bowl (in this order), add 1/3 celery and onion mixture and 1 cup of chicken stock. Add 1/2 toasted bread cubes, 1/2 cubed sandwich bread, 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning. Then add another 1/3 celery and onion mixture and 1 cup of chicken stock. Mix everything well. Then add remaining toasted bread cubes and cubed sandwich bread and top with remaining celery and onion mixture, 1 cup of chicken stock and remaining 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning. Mix well. At this point, if you need a little more moisture you can add some or all of the remaining chicken stock. The goal here is to add just enough moisture to keep everything together, but not create a soggy blob and to make sure everything is evenly incorporated.

Once the mixing is done, transfer to a 9" x 13" x 3" baking vessel. Take the remaining 1/2 stick of butter and put pats all over the top of the stuffing.

Cover the vessel with foil and bake for 1 hour on 350. Remove the foil and bake for 15 minutes more to add a little color to the top. Let cool a little and serve.

TTFN
B