I've Made Over 50 Stuffing Recipes—Stop Using Stale Bread To Make Yours
Forget the turkey. Stuffing is the true MVP of Thanksgiving. And whether you like it with cornbread, sourdough, or croissants (don't knock it 'til you've tried it), you've probably been told to use stale bread at some point. And at first glance, that makes sense. Using fresh bread and adding plenty of broth on top of that can be a recipe for sad, mushy disaster. Stale bread feels much dryer to the touch, so it should be able to soak in all of your stuffing seasoning, right?
Wrong. In fact, using stale bread and fresh bread will both leave you with equal amounts of mush. The longstanding tip to use old bread for stuffing is actually a myth, and it can have less than desirable effects on your finished dish.
We consulted our Senior Food Director, Rob Seixas, who's made well over 50 batches of stuffing in his lifetime, to unpack why you shouldn't use stale bread.
What's Wrong With Stale Bread?
Contrary to popular belief, letting bread go stale doesn't actually dry it out. After sitting out on your counter, bread goes through the process of retrogradation. The starch molecules crystallize and make your bread appear dry and hard. However, that moisture doesn't leave the bread—it becomes trapped inside.
"Whether your bread is fresh or stale," says Seixas, "the water content is the same."
But how does that affect your stuffing? A perfect stuffing should achieve a delicate balance between moisture and texture. Too dry, and your stuffing will be crumbly and bland. While too much liquid will leave you with a soggy, unappetizing dish.
"If you’re using stale bread and adding liquid, there will be nowhere for the liquid to go," says Seixas. "It's like when you're trying to cram more people into a fully booked flight. There's no space for extra moisture to fill."
As a result, your stuffing will have a soggy texture. And even worse, it'll taste less delicious. All of the broth, aromatics, herbs, and butter you add will be diluted by the flavorless moisture from the bread.
What Bread Should You Use For Stuffing?
Thankfully, there's an alternative to stale bread that makes a show-stopping stuffing, and it doesn't require days to prepare. Drying your bread in the oven takes less than an hour, and will actually remove the moisture we want to avoid.
"Dried bread has had all of the moisture evaporated, so it can absorb and hold any liquid you add to it," Seixas says.
Simply chop (or even better, tear) your bread into bite-sized pieces, spread them on a baking sheet, and cook them in a 250° oven for about 45 minutes. All of that moisture will be gone, the bread may even take on a slight toasty flavor, and your stuffing will be the perfect texture.
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