Description
Adapted from my cookbook, Bread Toast Crumbs
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds peasant bread, crusts removed, torn into 1- to 2-inch pieces (about 12 cups)
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
- 2 cups finely diced onions (1 to 2 onions)
- 1 cup finely diced celery
- 1 tablespoon Bell’s Seasoning
- 1½ cups homemade chicken stock or store-bought
- 1 egg
- Softened unsalted butter, for greasing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, toss the bread with ¼ cup oil; it will feel saturated. Season the bread with salt and pepper to taste. Spread it onto a sheet pan in a single layer, reserving the bowl. Transfer the pan to the oven and toast the bread for 15 to 17 minutes, or until golden. Set it aside to cool briefly.
- Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, melt the butter with the remaining ¼ cup oil over medium heat. Add the onions and celery, season with a pinch of salt, and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring, until soft and beginning to color.
- Return the toasted bread to the reserved bowl. When the onions and celery have finished cooking, scrape them into the bowl over the bread. Sprinkle with the Bell’s. Add 1 cup chicken stock, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper, and toss. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding another ½ teaspoon salt and more pepper as needed. In a small bowl, whisk the remaining ½ cup chicken stock with the egg and add it to the bowl. Toss them to combine.
- Grease a 9 × 13-inch baking pan with the softened butter and spread the mixture into it. Cover the pan with foil, transfer it to the center rack of the oven, and bake the stuffing for 30 minutes. Uncover the pan and bake the stuffing for 10 to 15 minutes more, until the bread is golden. Remove the stuffing and let it stand for 10 minutes before serving it.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Stuffing
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American