You Should Never Use Stale Bread For Stuffing (2024)

FAQs

You Should Never Use Stale Bread For Stuffing? ›

As explained in this article from Cook's Illustrated, bread that is simply stale still has pockets of moisture in it, which prevents the bread from fully absorbing new, flavorful liquid.

While you can use almost any bread — cornbread, bagels, or even frozen waffles — to make stuffing, it needs to be dried or “staled” first. Any attempts to make stuffing with soft, fresh baked bread will result in a bread soup with a soggy texture. Follow this tip: Stale, dried-out bread makes the best stuffing.

The best bread for stuffing is a sturdy loaf with a tight crumb. Bakery French bread, Italian bread, Challah, and Sourdough are all good choices. When you cut up a 1-pound loaf into cubes, it should fit in an even layer on a single half-size rimmed baking sheet.

Regardless if it's store-bought, bakery-fresh or homemade, bread stays fresh longer when it's in a relatively air-tight environment since circulation speeds up the staling process, says Atlanta chef Jennifer Hill Booker. Mold thrives in airy, warm locations, so look for cool, dry areas to keep your bread.

To stale lots of bread slices, position oven racks close together, then place a baking sheet in between them and stand up the slices of bread between the rungs. Warm the oven to 300 degrees and keep a close eye on the slices until they dry and slightly toast. Then the bread is ready to be cut into cubes or used as is.

If you don't want to take up space in the oven, you can always leave the bread out on the counter to dry. A day or two before you assemble your stuffing, cut the bread into cubes. Then, lay the cubes onto sheet pans and let them dry out at room temperature for 24 to 48 hours.

Broth: Chicken broth keeps the stuffing moist without making it soggy. Eggs: Two lightly beaten eggs help hold the dressing together and add moisture. Water: You can add a few tablespoons of water, if you'd like, to achieve your desired consistency.

Typically, baking the stuffing inside the bird helps keep the mixture moist. “I prefer stuffing (in the bird) to dressing (outside of the bird) because all those delicious drippings that come off the turkey gets absorbed right into the stuffing,” Bamford says.

The short answer to whether you can making stuffing ahead of time is yes. "Making stuffing ahead saves time, allows stove and oven space for other things, and making it ahead gives time for the flavor to fully develop," Chef David Tiner, Director at Louisiana Culinary Institute in Baton Rouge, tells Southern Living.

"When storing bread, the number one thing you should not do is put it in the refrigerator," he insists. "This is because the temperature and environment of a refrigerator can actually expedite the staling process and will not keep it fresh."

What is the difference between fresh bread and stale bread? ›

But if you can't buy it within hours of baking or you can't eat it all the same day you buy it, you will have to deal with 'staling' or 'going stale'. This is a chemical and physical process that makes bread less tasty and makes it have a leathery texture.

Types of mold that grow on bread include Aspergillus, Penicillium, Fusarium, Mucor, and Rhizopus. What's more, there are many different species of each of these types of fungus ( 3 ). Mold is a fungus, and its spores appear as fuzzy growths on bread.

Start by cutting the bread of your choice into half-inch cubes. Spread the cubed bread on top of two cooling racks set in two half-sheet pans. Heat your oven to the lowest setting (typically 150°–200°F) and bake for 45 minutes to an hour, or until completely dry.

Moisten your bread under cold water, without soaking it. Bake it for about 5 minutes on the oven rack. The bread will be soft on the inside and crispy on the outside, just like fresh bread! We advise you to eat it quickly and not to wait for the next meal.

While the texture and taste of stale food might be a little off, so long as there isn't anything else wrong with it, the food should be fine to eat.

Dry bread is not the same as stale bread

But if you can't buy it within hours of baking or you can't eat it all the same day you buy it, you will have to deal with 'staling' or 'going stale'. This is a chemical and physical process that makes bread less tasty and makes it have a leathery texture.

You want your stuffing moist but not soggy and certainly not dry. The bread in the stuffing absorbs moisture, but if it's dry (as it should be, see above), it takes some time for the liquid to settle in. I suggest adding a little at a time, say 1 cup of broth for every 4 cups of dry mix.

If your idea of pita bread is the small oval slices of cardboard bought from supermarkets, think again. Freshly made pita crisps and puffs up like a ball, perfect for stuffing with the filling of your choice: shawarma, falafel, muhamarra or any other Middle Eastern goodies.