To make the very best gluten free stuffing of your life this holiday season, you only need a few important elements: toasted bread cubes, onions, celery, eggs, herbs and chicken stock. From there, make it your own!
It’s time. Time to talk turkey. And by “turkey,” I mean gluten free stuffing. (Really dressing, since I’m not cooking the stuffing inside the turkey.) Because I’ve tried every which way to make turkey (except for deep-frying it which I so want to try but don’t have an enormous deep-fryer, and except for baking it in a bag like one reader suggested), and if you want my opinion, no matter what it just tastes … like turkey.
I think this year I’m just going to spatchcock the poor bird, rub it with an herb butter and let it do its thing. But Thanksgiving stuffing? Stuffing I could talk about for days and days… This is your most classic of Thanksgiving stuffings, but it should come as no surprise that for me it’s all about the gluten free bread.
To make stuffing (dressing?), I’ve used every type of bread, from the squishiest to the most crusty. I’ve made it with lean breads and enriched breads. Cornbread, too.
I have finally decided that my favorite gluten free bread for stuffing is the Japanese Milk Bread from page 59 of GFOAS Bakes Bread(try the blog recipe, too—I bet it works fine). It’s slightly enriched (an egg, some butter, milk instead of water) so it’s nice and airy inside, and also has a thick, bakery-style crust, but it’s not as rich as, say, brioche.
And it holds up beautifully to being cubed, tossed with flavored butter and toasted. These days, I don’t bother leaving bread cubes out to go stale. I get much MUCH better results by cubing a fresh loaf of bread, then tossing it with melted butter mixed with our powdered gluten free vegetable bouillon, and toasting it at 350°F for about 20 minutes.
I find that it flavors the bread just enough, and prepares it to absorb the eggs and stock without becoming soggy. Oh you just have to try it. I honestly could just eat the cubed bread right out of the oven as a delicious appetizer. With cheese fondue. Oooooooohhhhh….
Aside from a few basic guidelines and ratios, though, what makes for the very best gluten free stuffing for Thanksgiving (or any day) is just such a matter of personal taste. So this is your basic, truly classic recipe, but at the end of the instructions are a few suggested variations.
If your family has a favorite way to flavor your stuffing this time of year, tell us all about it in the comments. I bet it’s delicious! Promise me you’ll at least consider trying my bread and my suggested method of toasting it, though, okay?
4 eggs (240 g, weighed out of shells) at room temperature, beaten
1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, finely grated
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line two large rimmed baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper and set them aside. Grease well a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish and set it aside.
Toast the bread cubes. In a large bowl place the bread cubes. In a separate, small bowl, place the melted butter and powdered bouillon, and mix to combine. Pour the butter mixture over the bread cubes and mix gently to coat the bread cubes without crushing the bread. Divide the bread cube mixture between the two prepared baking sheets and shake into an even layer on each baking sheet. Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake until lightly golden brown all over and firm to the touch (about 20 minutes), stirring gently once during baking. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
While the bread is cooling, cook the aromatics. In a medium-size, heavy-bottom saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions and celery are fork-tender (about 10 minutes). Uncover the pan and remove it from the heat. Add the stock, sage and thyme, and mix to combine well. Allow the mixture to cool until no longer hot to the touch.
Assemble and bake. Place the cooled toasted bread cubes in a large bowl, add the eggs and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and toss to coat. Add the stock mixture, and mix to combine. Transfer the mixture carefully to the prepared 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish, and press gently into an even layer. Place the baking dish in the center of the preheated oven, and reduce the heat to 325°F. Bake until the eggs are set (about 20 minutes). Increase the temperature to 350°F and continue to bake until golden brown all over (another 5 to 10 minutes). Serve warm.
Suggested variations:
Cranberry-Apple Stuffing: When cooking onions and celery, add 2 peeled, cored and diced apples, and 1 cup dried cranberries to the aromatics when you add the stock.
Sausage-and-Leek Stuffing: When cooking the aromatics, first cook 1 1/2 cups crumbled bulk sausage until no longer pink. Remove the cook sausage and set it aside, leaving behind the grease. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil, and cook the aromatics, replacing the sliced onions with 1 cup chopped leeks.
Tex-Mex Cornbread Stuffing: Replace the Japanese Milk Bread cubes with cubed Gluten Free Skillet Cornbread. To aromatics, add 1 diced japaleño pepper, ribs and seeds removed and 1 seeded red bell pepper. After you add the stock, add 1 cup frozen corn kernels.
Love, Nicole
If you liked this recipe, you'll love my new book!
Can this be prepared a day before and heated up? If so, which steps would you go through early and which would you reserve for the day of? I am not much of a cook, but I would love to have dressing on Thanksgiving this year at my family’s dinner.
Thanks!
Brad G
November 13, 2014 at 12:26 PM
My favorite stuffing is with cornbread, sauteed/carmelized plantains, leeks (or shallots), and chanterelle mushrooms. YUM!!!
Donia Robinson
November 13, 2014 at 10:32 AM
Not to be a buzzkill, but could you also recommend a dairy-free bread? My small intestine thanks you. :)
I used Nom Nom Paleo’s spatchcocked bird recipe last year, and it was delicious. It also cooked much faster, which was a plus. I also feel very fancy using the word spatchcock. I plan to do it again this year (both use the recipe and use the word).
Mare Masterson
November 13, 2014 at 10:55 AM
Donia, I was shocked to see your post because I assumed you already make the breads from the book using the dairy free suggestions Nicole provided in the book. I love Nom Nom Paleo! I don’t have to be dairy free, but I am a lot of the time.
Donia Robinson
November 13, 2014 at 11:13 AM
I found that the extra water that the dairy-free versions required made them behave very differently than the dairy versions. They could not be kneaded, rolled, or handled the way the dairy versions could. There was a lot of sticking. Ultimately, I found it easier for me personally to keep using the old-school recipes, because they just go from mixing bowl to pan. I have the white sandwich bread recipe from the first book memorized, and make it about 3 times a week. As I’ve mentioned before on the blog, I’m sort of a lazy baker. I don’t like to make cookies because of all of the in and out of the oven, then cooling racks, etc. It’s probably a problem with me, not the dairy-free flour recipe. ;)
So that’s my dirty little secret. But I am happy for the successes of others with the dairy version of the bread flour! If I could tolerate more dairy, I’d be right there with you!!
Anneke
November 13, 2014 at 2:24 PM
I knew Donia’s dirty little secret already! My husband feels the same way about the old bread recipes, he makes the brown bread (we call it teff bread in our house) from the blog several times a week. He is all about easy! And I must investigate this spatchcock word! Really rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it!
Melissa
November 13, 2014 at 10:28 AM
Soak your turkey in a salt/sugar brine for 2-3 days before you bake it. I promise you won’t be sorry!
Mare Masterson
November 13, 2014 at 10:13 AM
Oh I have yet to try the Japanese Milk Bread. I guess I must do so and make a couple extra loaves for T-Day! I make my own turkey stock beforehand from parts I buy in supermarket. I have to blend the onion and celery in the stock because my daughter likes the flavor but not to chew the actual onion or celery. Only way she chews an onion is if it is a onion ring or crispy fried onions. We use GF Jones sausage in our stuffing. I do cook it in the bird and I also make extra to cook outside the bird.
Lucy
November 13, 2014 at 10:13 AM
Lovely stuffing Nicole, we hardly ever roast turkey… It’s always ham, beef or chicken.
We always make stuffing and I’ve had some failures, I’ll try this recipe next and make sure I have the Japanese Milk Bread on hand :) The Lemon Meringue Pie was a hit, thanks for the pie crust recipe! We ended up using rotini pasta for the lasagna dish and it was excellent too!
Lynda
November 13, 2014 at 9:26 AM
How many cups of bread cubes? I’m not sure I’ll have time to bake the bread and will probably have to buy it pre-made.
HELLO! I’m Nicole! I make gluten-free food enjoyable & affordable. If they can make it with gluten, we can make it without. That’s a promise!
Comments are closed.
Can this be prepared a day before and heated up? If so, which steps would you go through early and which would you reserve for the day of? I am not much of a cook, but I would love to have dressing on Thanksgiving this year at my family’s dinner.
Thanks!
My favorite stuffing is with cornbread, sauteed/carmelized plantains, leeks (or shallots), and chanterelle mushrooms. YUM!!!
Not to be a buzzkill, but could you also recommend a dairy-free bread? My small intestine thanks you. :)
I used Nom Nom Paleo’s spatchcocked bird recipe last year, and it was delicious. It also cooked much faster, which was a plus. I also feel very fancy using the word spatchcock. I plan to do it again this year (both use the recipe and use the word).
Donia, I was shocked to see your post because I assumed you already make the breads from the book using the dairy free suggestions Nicole provided in the book. I love Nom Nom Paleo! I don’t have to be dairy free, but I am a lot of the time.
I found that the extra water that the dairy-free versions required made them behave very differently than the dairy versions. They could not be kneaded, rolled, or handled the way the dairy versions could. There was a lot of sticking. Ultimately, I found it easier for me personally to keep using the old-school recipes, because they just go from mixing bowl to pan. I have the white sandwich bread recipe from the first book memorized, and make it about 3 times a week. As I’ve mentioned before on the blog, I’m sort of a lazy baker. I don’t like to make cookies because of all of the in and out of the oven, then cooling racks, etc. It’s probably a problem with me, not the dairy-free flour recipe. ;)
So that’s my dirty little secret. But I am happy for the successes of others with the dairy version of the bread flour! If I could tolerate more dairy, I’d be right there with you!!
I knew Donia’s dirty little secret already! My husband feels the same way about the old bread recipes, he makes the brown bread (we call it teff bread in our house) from the blog several times a week. He is all about easy! And I must investigate this spatchcock word! Really rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it!
Soak your turkey in a salt/sugar brine for 2-3 days before you bake it. I promise you won’t be sorry!
Oh I have yet to try the Japanese Milk Bread. I guess I must do so and make a couple extra loaves for T-Day! I make my own turkey stock beforehand from parts I buy in supermarket. I have to blend the onion and celery in the stock because my daughter likes the flavor but not to chew the actual onion or celery. Only way she chews an onion is if it is a onion ring or crispy fried onions. We use GF Jones sausage in our stuffing. I do cook it in the bird and I also make extra to cook outside the bird.
Lovely stuffing Nicole, we hardly ever roast turkey… It’s always ham, beef or chicken.
We always make stuffing and I’ve had some failures, I’ll try this recipe next and make sure I have the Japanese Milk Bread on hand :)
The Lemon Meringue Pie was a hit, thanks for the pie crust recipe!
We ended up using rotini pasta for the lasagna dish and it was excellent too!
How many cups of bread cubes? I’m not sure I’ll have time to bake the bread and will probably have to buy it pre-made.
It’s about 9 to 10 cups, Lynda.
Thank you!