Posted on 11/11/2022 11:30:00 AM PST by mylife
Whether you call it stuffing or dressing, the broth-soaked bread dish is a Thanksgiving must-have. Though it’s not advisable to stuff the turkey with anything, it’s commonly agreed upon that “dressing” is always made with cornbread, and “stuffing” is usually made with a white bread of some kind—usually sandwich bread. But no matter what kind of bread you start with, it has to be ready to receive liquid, and that is accomplished by either drying or staling. A lot of recipes recommend you stale your bread rather than dry it, but I think fully-dried bread gives your stuffing a better texture (and it takes less time).
What’s the difference between drying and staling? Drying is the simple act of removing as much moisture as you can from your bread, usually in a low-temp oven, resulting in cracker-y, crispy cubes. Staling is a little different: Moisture does evaporate, but it also migrates from swollen starch granules into the airy spaces in the crumb and into the bread’s crust. Those starches then realign and recrystallize without the moisture, resulting in bread that is dry, but not crisp. Instead of crispy little cubes, you get leathery, chewy pieces that are less able to absorb broth, which is not what I personally want in my favorite bread-based side dish
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Stuffing is inside the bird. Dressing is outside the bird.
I do both coach.
any oyster dressing fans here?
The stuffing is the best part. I will also make stuffing waffles for breakfast. Yum
mighty good in poke chops too ;p
If your dressing/stuffing is too dry, you didn’t have enough liquid to start with. Your dressing/stuffing should run through your fingers like very thin mud before you even put it in the oven. You can always cook the dressing/stuffing a bit longer if it’s too runny but you can add liquid if it’s too dry.
I never understood one of my mother’s favorite sayings when she referred to someone being as ‘full of crap as a thanksgiving turkey’ until I asked her for her recipe for dressing/stuffing. Dressing/stuffing is just a bunch of crap you throw into a pan. One of her ingredients was ‘creme of whatever soup’. I asked her what that was and she remarked ‘well, just whatever you have in the pantry.’ At that point I understood what she meant about being full of crap.
A suggestion or two. If you’re making corn bread stuffing, you can add a can of whole kernel yellow corn. Waterchestnuts give it a bit of crunchyness. I also like hot pork sausage. Just throw some crap in a pan...don’t be too particular. Stuffing/dressing was what you made so a six person turkey would feed ten.
I just made some biscotti this morning. I know how to dry the bread.
I just add turkey dripins
Thanks for posting! I make southern stuffing/dressing with cornbread. Great tip on the consistency. Helpful to me and mine :)
“any oyster dressing fans here?”
I make two dressings every holiday. Smoked oyster for most of my family and non-oyster for in-laws family. LOL
Also, I actually use toasted breads (adding a lot of color on the outside). The turkey neck, turkey leg (bought separate) and giblets (garlic, bone, and vegetable broth), cream of mushroom soup, holy trinity of vegetables, and mushrooms. Also, my own seasons and herbs. Of course, I base with turkey drippings to caramelize the top while baking.
Agreed
Hell to the yeah!
No stuffing in bird (cooked separate in pan with drippings pour on top during the process), slows down cooking. I actually stuff the bird with oranges, onions, garlic, and celery. Cooks faster and provides a lot of juices for the inside of the bird.
momincombatboots wrote: “Thanks for posting! I make southern stuffing/dressing with cornbread. Great tip on the consistency. Helpful to me and mine :)”
Cornbread is the main ingredient for me too. There really isn’t a bad way to make dressing/stuffing. Originally it was just what the poor folks had available to stretch a meal for more than you had turkey for.
I do use poultry seasoning (a little goes a long way).
Chicken broth.
Cream of whatever. Go easy on the creme of celery. It can be overpowering if you use too much.
I like hot seasoned pork sausage.
Several eggs to help hold it together.
Whole kernal corn.
Water chestnuts.
Just a bunch of crap, really.
I am going to look into oysters.
We get large birds because we usually have a large gathering. We have been smoking and stuffing all of our turkeys for over ten years. Both are not “advisable”, but we have never had a problem and the turkeys have been delicious. We run the smoker hotter than normal but if the internal temps are not going to reach 165 in time, we put it in the oven for the last hour or two. I install an electronic thermometer and graph the temperatures from the beginning.
“Drying is the simple act of removing as much moisture as you can from your bread, usually in a low-temp oven, resulting in cracker-y, crispy cubes. “
That’s how I make my “Maw Maw’s Toast”. She always had extra pieces sitting in her cooled down oven, ready to add jam.
I will also make stuffing waffles for breakfast. Yum .
Never heard of that but it sounds good.
Quartered artichoke hearts (NOT marinated) in the mix. Always a big hit with the guests.
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