This recipe can easily
be halved and baked in a 9”x13” baking dish for a smaller crowd. You can substitute three 14-ounce bags of
plain, dried bread cubes for the homemade dried bread cubes, but you’ll need to
increase the amount of chicken broth to 7 cups.
Serves 12 to 16.
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing the
dish
4 ribs celery, chopped fine
2 onions, minced
½ cup minced fresh parsley
2 teaspoons dried sage or 3 tablespoons minced fresh sage
1 teaspoon dried thyme or 3 tablespoons minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon dried marjoram or 1 tablespoon minced fresh
marjoram
3 pounds high-quality sandwich bread (I use Pepperidge
Farm), cut into ½-inch cubes and dried*
5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons pepper
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven
to 400 degrees. Melt the butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add
the celery and onions and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the
parsley, sage, thyme, and marjoram and cook until fragrant, about 1 minutes.
Transfer to a very large bowl.
Add the dried, cooled bread, broth, eggs, salt and pepper to
the vegetables and toss to combine. Turn the mixture into a buttered 10 by
15-inch baking dish.
Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and
continue to bake until golden, about 30 minutes longer. Let cool for 10 minutes
before serving.
*DRYING BREAD CRUMBS: Drying the bread before making
stuffing is crucial for texture and flavor. If you plan ahead, you can simply
leave the bread cubes out on the counter for a few days to become stale.
Otherwise, spread them out on baking sheets and dry in a 300-degree oven for 30
to 60 minutes. Let the bread cool before using in the stuffing.
For a printable version of the recipe, go here.