Stuffing - Basic Bread Dressings with Cranberry

Growing up, and in my experience, roasted Turkey, Chicken and even Duck over the Holidays  are almost always accompanied by a Dressing or a Stuffing. I have touched on "Stuffing" and "Dressing" on my Roasted Turkey Post from last year and even defined which one is which. This year I will break down some ingredients, write out a few recipes for you and even explain "why" a Stuffing has become a Holiday Tradition.


For the purposes of this post, even though I am baking these recipes outside of the bird, I will be call it Stuffing as that is the way I relate to it.


There are several ways to make Stuffing, there is no right or wrong way to make it. For YEARS, a Stuffing has been a way that a cook could help stretch a meal out and provide additional food to the household for that much needed extra nutrition. The addition of nuts, berries and dried vegetables were ways to help add more calories to a diet that was restricted due to the  environment they lived in.

 I'll discuss that further down in the post. I'll write out a couple of recipes first for those who want to cook and not learn about History.


This Recipe makes enough stuffing for 4 portions, depending on the number of guests you have, double ingredients for 8 people, triple ingredients for 12 etc.


Preheat your oven to 350 F, or you can bake it at the temperature you are cooking your bird  (Usually 325 F is common). At either temperature, allow 45 minutes to 1 hour to finish. Depending on how you like your texture, crispy outside, moist interior or sort of a mix of the two you can "Fluff" the Stuffing with a fork at the halfway mark, or leave it as is for a moist interior.





You will cover the Stuffing for the first half of it's cooking time too.


Use a baking dish with a lid or a deep pan, and cover with Aluminum Foil.


Baked Cranberry Stuffing (for Turkey)


Ingredients:

2 Cups Bread Cubes
1 Egg
1/3 Cup Milk
1/3 Cup Cranberries Halved
1 Slice of Onion, Diced
1/2 Celery Stalk, Diced
1/2 Cup Au Jus or Chicken Stock

* Extra water as desired

Spices - All are Dried and Ground

1/2 TSP Sugar
1/4 TSP Garlic Powder
1/4 TSP Salt
1/8 TSP All Spice
1/8 TSP Thyme
1/8 TSP Sage
1/8 TSP Nutmeg
1/8 TSP Sumac (Mace or Lemon Zest as a substitute)

A Note on the Spices: 

I add similar Spices to the Turkey while it Roasts, but in larger quantities. You can add extra spices to the Gravy to help layer and build flavours. 

I only use Mace, Sumac or Lemon Zest specifically when I cook fruit in my stuffing, I don't add it to the Roast itself .

Preparation:

Cube dried Bread with a sharp knife.

It's Okay if the cubes are uneven in size. This is Homemade Dressing.

Half the Cranberries, Dice the Celery and Onion and add to a large bowl.


In a separate Bowl whisk the Egg, Milk and a 2 to 3 of Tablespoons of cold water. The more you add, the more moist the dressing.


Pour the wet ingredients over the Vegetables and Cranberries.


Add Cubed Bread to the same bowl and mix thoroughly.

Use your hands as you can work the bread into the wet ingredients more easily. You want to have the bread absorb the mixture as evenly as possible and have even distribution of ingredients.

Spoon your Stuffing into a Baking Dish with a lid, or you can use a baking pan and cover with Aluminum Foil.

Prior to covering add half of the Au Jus or Chicken Stock, cover and place it in the oven.

Bake for 30 minutes in the oven with your Roast, or, as mentioned above, a preheated oven 350 F.

Uncover and "Fluff" the Stuffing with a fork. The more air circulation through the stuffing, the crispier the edges get.


If you find the Stuffing is too dry for your tastes, add a little more Chicken Stock or Au Jus and let it rest for  2 or 3 minutes before you place it back. Fluff again after the moisture has absorbed.


You will place the dish, uncovered, back into the oven to finish.




Hints for  Texture

Cook the Stuffing to YOUR desired texture. I like Bread Stuffing to be Drier and Crispy but not everyone does.

• The Fluffier the Stuffing, the more quickly the edges brown up.
• For a moist interior, bake for 5 to 7 minutes.
• If you like a drier and Crispier Stuffing, you can leave it for up to 20 minutes, but check on it to ensure it does not completely dry out.
• If you are stalling for time and it is getting dry, add a couple of tablespoons of Au Jus from your roast and drizzle it lightly over the stuffing. This will help add some moisture back in.

Why do we serve Stuffing?

This is just general knowledge I have gleaned over the years. My Husband's fascination with Medieval History overflowed into my fascination with Food. IF I ever do write a book, it will be on the History of Food and how technology shaped our eating habits and our Traditions over the Holidays.

In Northern Climates where the Winter season brought freezing temperatures and snow, ingredients would become limited. Ingredients used would depend on the foods that were available, whether it was cold stored or dried. It didn't always have bread either, bread was not always eaten by the household.

We haven't always had refrigerators and the ability to tin or can or food was not always available, the technology is only a couple of hundred years old.

AS I am short on time due to the Holidays, I will pubish this post as is for now. I'll update the history part over the next week, but it's time I posted this recipe.

Have a Wonderful Holiday Season!

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