This post may contain affiliate links, view our disclosure.
This easy sourdough brioche stuffing recipe is for people who enjoy the traditional flavor of this classic holiday side dish. Rich and savory with aromatic onion, garlic, and fresh herbs, sourdough brioche adds a lovely balance of flavors with tangy sourdough and buttery brioche.
Classic stuffing (or dressing) is a traditional Thanksgiving side dish that’s as simple as it is delicious. You can’t get much more humble than stale bread, right?!
Stale bread (or better yet, toasted bread) absorbs the rich savory flavor of chicken (or vegetable) stock. Onion and garlic sautéed in butter create a complex, aromatic base layer of flavor. Fresh herbs (like rosemary, thyme, and sage) add depth and brighten everything up. Simple seasonings, such as salt and black pepper, make sure it isn’t bland.
The end result is pure decadence, starting with a humble loaf of stale bread.
Why Use Stale Bread For Stuffing?
There are three reasons (that I know of) as to why it’s common to use stale bread (or toasted bread) to make stuffing or dressing.
The first is that dry bread absorbs moisture much better than fresh bread. Stale bread is dry, which makes it a bit like a sponge in the sense that it’s ready to absorb the liquid we add.
Also, stale bread helps us achieve the right structure and texture. If we were to use fresh bread, our stuffing would be a soggy, mushy mess!
Lastly, it’s economical and helps reduce kitchen waste. Instead of throwing away stale bread, using it to make stuffing gives it new life. And saves money!
What Makes This Stuffing Recipe a Winner
- It’s easy – And easy recipes count for so much more when they’re part of holiday meals! You can even make this one ahead of time.
- Classic flavor – If you enjoy traditional stuffing, you’re going to love this. I know Stove Top has a cult-like following of stuffing fans (and let’s be honest, meatloaf with Stove Top stuffing is pretty delicious!), but the classic savory flavor of this homemade version might just convert the Stove Top-lover in your life.
- Versatile – Here I’m sharing the base recipe, as well as a ton of fun variation ideas. Apple, celery, chestnuts, cranberries, dried fruit, and/or sausage are just a few ways you can customize this stuffing recipe!
Ingredients
Breaking It Down
Ingredients Explained
In this section I explain the ingredients and give substitution ideas where applicable. For the full recipe (including the ingredient amounts), see the recipe card below.
- Torn or diced sourdough brioche bread – You’ll need 8 cups, or about 285 grams (10 ounces) of sourdough brioche bread for this recipe (note that if you’re not using brioche, it’ll weigh closer to 225 grams). Tear it into bite-sized pieces or cut it into 1/4-inch cubes. I like to use sourdough brioche for the tanginess of sourdough and the rich butteriness of brioche, but you can use regular brioche or regular sourdough (or any kind of bread you like). The bread should be dry. Using stale (or day old) bread is common, but I like to take it one step further and toast the bread (whether it’s stale or not) to really dry it out.
- Butter – Salted or unsalted butter will work here; my preference is salted. We use butter to sauté the onion and garlic, to grease the casserole dish (to prevent the stuffing from sticking and help the sides get crispy and golden), and we dot the top with butter before baking. As the stuffing cooks, the butter melts down into it, adding rich flavor and helping the top turn a gorgeous golden brown.
- Yellow onion and garlic – We sauté onion and garlic in butter to create a deep savory base flavor for the stuffing.
- Rosemary, thyme, sage, and parsley – For the best flavor and most intense aroma, use fresh herbs. In a pinch, you can use 1 teaspoon of dried, crushed herbs, and use even less if you’re using ground or powdered herbs.
- Garlic powder and onion powder – These seasonings add different flavors than their fresh counterparts. Don’t skip them!
- Salt and black pepper – To season the stuffing so it isn’t bland.
- Chicken stock – Moistens the dry bread to create stuffing; use a good quality chicken stock (or vegetable stock) for rich, deep flavor. PRO TIP: Use a really good stock or broth because it lends a ton of flavor to the stuffing.
- Egg – We use one egg as a binder for this stuffing to keep it from being crumbly. Also, it adds moisture so the stuffing isn’t dry, and helps create the perfect fluffy texture. And lastly, the yolk adds richness.
How to Toast Bread (Whether It’s Fresh or Stale) For Stuffing
Time needed: 30 minutes
When you’re making stuffing, the bread should be really dry to avoid mushy, water-logged stuffing. The best way to do that is to toast the bread; here’s how to do it:
- Tear or Cube the Bread
Tear the bread into bite-sized pieces or cut it into 1/4-inch cubes.
- Spread Out and Bake
Spread out the torn or cubed bread on a baking tray, and bake in a 350F oven for 20 minutes.
- Toss and Continue Baking Until Toasted
Gently toss the bread pieces so they toast evenly. Then continue baking in 5 to 10 minute increments if necessary. Personally, I like to toast the bread until it starts to turn golden, but all you really have to do is make sure it’s dry (watch it closely towards the end when it’s in the oven).
Instructions: How to Make Stuffing
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 425F. Generously grease a 10.5 by 7.5-inch casserole dish with butter.
- Sauté the aromatics. Add 2 tablespoons butter to a large skillet over medium heat. Once mostly melted, add the onion and garlic and cook until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Combine. Add the toasted bread, sautéed onion mixture, rosemary, thyme, sage, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, back pepper, chicken stock, and beaten egg to a large bowl and toss well to saturate the bread.
- Bake. Transfer the mixture to the prepared casserole dish, spread it out evenly, and dot the cubed butter on top. Cover with foil and bake 25 minutes, then uncover and bake until it’s golden on top and around the outside, about 10 to 15 minutes more. Serve.
Variations
- Celery and/or apple – Celery and/or apple are favorite additions to stuffing. They add texture, but soften a bit while baking, so if you want them to keep some of their crunch, don’t finely dice them. Additionally, choose a sweet/tart apple that stays crisp (and doesn’t get mushy) after baking, such as Honeycrisp. You can use up to 1 cup each of chopped apple and celery, and sauté it along with the onion and garlic.
- Roasted chestnuts – Roasted chestnuts are a really special addition to holiday stuffing. Chestnuts are subtly sweet and nutty with a surprisingly creamy texture. You can add up to 1 cup of roasted chopped chestnuts to this stuffing recipe. (If you aren’t sure how to do it, I have a post on how to roast chestnuts!)
- Pecans or other nuts – Add up to 3/4 cup of chopped pecans, walnuts, almonds, pine nuts, pistachios, or any kind of nuts you like.
- Cranberries – You can add fresh or dried cranberries to stuffing, but be aware that fresh cranberries will add bursts of tart flavor. To add fresh cranberries to this stuffing, rinse and drain 1 cup of fresh cranberries and toss them along with everything else right before baking. To add dried cranberries to this stuffing, soak 1/2 cup (sweetened or unsweetened) dried cranberries in boiling water for 10 minutes; drain well, and then toss in with everything else.
- Dried fruit – Similarly to adding dried cranberries, you can add raisins, dried apricots, or any kind of dried fruit you like. I would keep it around 1/2 cup, but you could add up to 2/3 cup if you really like the bursts of sweetness. Don’t forget to soak your dried fruit in boiling water for 10 minutes before adding it to the stuffing ingredients. Additionally, if your dried fruit is on the larger size (e.g., dried apricots), chop it into small bite-sized pieces (about the size of raisins) before soaking in water.
- Sausage – There are a couple different ways you can add sausage. The first way is to brown one pound of your favorite raw bulk sausage (bulk sausage is the kind that isn’t in links), and mix that with everything. And the other option is to add one pound of cooked chopped sausage (such as breakfast sausage links or patties) to everything without having to brown it. (And if you’re a fan of stuffing with sausage, check out my cornbread sausage stuffing recipe!)
Storage and Reheating Tips
Cool to room temperature, and then store stuffing an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
To reheat, thaw to room temperature if it was frozen. Add a splash of chicken broth, vegetable broth, or water to prevent the stuffing from drying out. Microwave in a microwave-safe dish for 2 minutes, stir, and then microwave again in 30-second intervals until warm throughout. Or put it in an oven-safe dish covered with foil and bake at 350F until warm, about 30 minutes. After that, you can broil it briefly if you want to re-crisp the top.
My Best Tips For Easy Classic Homemade Stuffing
- You can use any kind of bread you like here. I’m partial to sourdough brioche because the tang of sourdough balances the richness of brioche and creates a deliciously flavorful stuffing. Also, it’s convenient for me because I frequently have it in my freezer (I bake some kind of sourdough bread once a month or so). You can go with regular sourdough or regular brioche (or a combination of both), or use any kind of bread you like.
- Toasted bread is even better than stale bread. (Or feel free to toast your stale bread!) Stale bread still holds quite a bit of moisture, which can make your stuffing mushy (and that’s the number one thing that can go wrong with stuffing!). Toasted bread is much drier and results in stuffing that’s moist inside and crisp and golden outside.
- Don’t forget the two-step cooking process: covered for the first part, and then uncovered. This gives us the best of both worlds; the stuffing stays moist, fluffy and almost creamy inside (think of it as a savory bread pudding), but gets beautifully crisp and golden on the top and sides.
Frequently Asked Questions
At its base, stuffing (or dressing) traditionally contains: bread (stale or toasted so it absorbs the flavorful liquid), butter, onion, broth or stock (such as chicken, turkey, or vegetable), herbs (frequently parsley, rosemary, thyme, and/or sage), and seasonings (salt and pepper, for starters). Sometimes egg is added. Also, celery, apple, sausage, nuts, and dried fruit are all popular additions.
Some stuffing recipes call for eggs and others don’t. Here we add a lightly beaten egg to help keep it moist with the perfect fluffy texture. Further, the egg white acts as a binder so the stuffing isn’t crumbly, and the yolk adds richness.
Both! At first you bake stuffing covered so it doesn’t dry out. And then you bake it uncovered for the last part of baking so it can get crisp and golden.
More Traditional Holiday Side Dish Recipes
Let’s Connect
Did you make this recipe? Please rate it and leave a comment below. You can also tag @anediblemosaic on social media.
To stay up-to-date, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter!
Easy Sourdough Brioche Stuffing Recipe
Email This Recipe
Get this recipe link emailed straight to your inbox!
Ingredients
- 8 cups torn or diced sourdough brioche bread toasted (see Notes)
- 2 tablespoons butter see Notes
- 1 medium-large yellow onion diced (about 1 3/4 cups diced)
- 4 large cloves garlic crushed
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh sage
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
- 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 1/2 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 6 tablespoons butter cubed (plus more for greasing the pan)
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 425F. Generously grease a 10.5 by 7.5-inch casserole dish with butter.
- Sauté the aromatics. Add 2 tablespoons butter to a large skillet over medium heat. Once mostly melted, add the onion and garlic and cook until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Combine. Add the toasted bread, sautéed onion mixture, rosemary, thyme, sage, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, back pepper, chicken stock, and beaten egg to a large bowl and toss well to saturate the bread.
- Bake. Transfer the mixture to the prepared casserole dish, spread it out evenly, and dot the cubed butter on top. Cover with foil and bake 25 minutes, then uncover and bake until it's golden on top and around the outside, about 10 to 15 minutes more. Serve.
Video
Notes
- Bread: You’ll need 8 cups, or about 285 grams (10 ounces) of sourdough brioche bread for this recipe (note that if you’re not using brioche, it’ll weigh closer to 225 grams). Tear it into bite-sized pieces or cut it into 1/4-inch cubes. I like to use sourdough brioche for the tanginess of sourdough and the rich butteriness of brioche, but you can use regular brioche or regular sourdough (or any kind of bread you like). The bread should be dry. Using stale (or day old) bread is common, but I like to take it one step further and toast the bread (whether it’s stale or not) to really dry it out. To do so, spread out the torn or cubed bread on a baking tray, and bake in a 350F oven for 20 minutes. Gently toss the bread pieces so they toast evenly. Then continue baking in 5 to 10 minute increments if necessary. Personally, I like to toast the bread until it starts to turn golden, but all you really have to do is make sure it’s dry (watch it closely towards the end when it’s in the oven).
- Butter: Salted or unsalted butter will work here; my preference is salted.
- Storage: Cool to room temperature, and then store stuffing an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
- Reheating: To reheat, thaw to room temperature if it was frozen. Add a splash of chicken broth, vegetable broth, or water to prevent the stuffing from drying out. Microwave in a microwave-safe dish for 2 minutes, stir, and then microwave again in 30-second intervals until warm throughout. Or put it in an oven-safe dish covered with foil and bake at 350F until warm, about 30 minutes. After that, you can broil it briefly if you want to re-crisp the top.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.
Share it with me on Instagram and leave a comment to let me know your thoughts!
I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
Free Bonus
