How do I make my own bread cubes for stuffing?

[Debbie]

it can't be as easy.. and just cutting up bread into cubes and drying them out can it?

I have been to EVERY store in my city in Canada.. and Have not found ONE bag of dried cubed bread, to make my own stuffing for Their Thanksgiving in October... I asked at every store.. and they look at me like I have two heads.. they say " the boxed stove top is on Aisle 2" ugh! I don't want packaged stuff.. I want to make my own grrr

The bags I used to get in Washington.. were just bread cubes.. with some seasoning of some sort.. help

 

[bethzaring]

it can't be as easy.. and just cutting up bread into cubes and drying them out can it?

help

I am afraid it is just that easy. I will cut and paste a recipe I developed for a herb stuffing, this recipe was developed for a contest, so it may read a bit funny. part way through the recipe I describe how to make the cubes. Simply cut bread in cubes, leave out, covered with a towel or something, for at least one day.

Herbed Bread Stuffing 400 degree oven 9x13 pan


Butter- 4 T. (no substitutes)
Onion- 1 ½ cups, chopped
Garlic- 4 cloves, chopped
Celery- 1 ½ cups, diced
Oregano- ½ t.
Parsley, fresh, chopped, ½ cup
Pepper- ½ t.

Dried bread cubes- 12 cups ½ inch cubed Herb Bread

Chicken Stock 2 cups
Eggs- 3 Large, lightly beaten
Salt 1 t.

Heat butter in skillet over medium heat. Sauté onion, garlic, and celery about eight minutes. Stir in herbs, cook and stir one minute longer. Put bread cubes into a large mixing bowl. Add onion mixture, chicken stock, eggs and salt; toss gently to coat bread. Turn mixture into buttered 9x13 inch pan, cover with foil, refrigerate or bake in a 400 degree oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 to 20 minutes or until a golden crust forms on top.

This stuffing is sensational with turkey. I always bake my stuffing separate from the bird. I use a bread machine recipe for Herbed bread I found in Quick Cooking’ Collectors edition, page 57. I also use celery I raised and home made chicken broth from the freezer. I frequently make this as a side dish year round! Serving a one-cup serving will give you one bread and one vegetable serving. Family and friends say it is the best stuffing they ever tasted. It is best to start this recipe 2 days before the feast. Dry the bread cubes for one day, assemble it the next day and refrigerate overnight until ready to bake. I adapted this recipe from one found in the magazine, Cook’s Illustrated.

 

[kitchenelf]

Well, I'm afraid to say it is that simple. Sometimes I don't get mine dried out in time so I place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet or a low-sided pan in a 250 degree F. oven, tossing occasionally, until they are dried out.

The seasoning, which to me is salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, thyme, parsley, marjoram, just gets added to your mix.

They say to cut the crust off but I never do.

 

[kitchenelf]

We're really not all "afraid" here Debbie - beth? ...are you afraid? I am sort of I guess

 

[bethzaring]

well, afraid is not really the correct word/emotion. Sometimes it is scary how easy some things are to make.

 

[Mr. D]

I would just cut my own bread cubes using a mixture of bread. My favorite is to go to the local grocery store and purchase any reduced priced bread. This way I can enjoy new stuffings every time. Then I just lay them out on a cookie sheet to dry out while I cut up and saute my onions and celery. Then I add a generous helping of butter and some turkey stock, tobasco sauce, worcesteshire sauce, s&p, thyme, basil, parsley, sumer savory, and sage. Adjust to your liking.

 

[JoAnn L.]

Oven 325F. Cut up you bread into 1/2" cubes. Drizzle the cubes with olive oil and season wirh salt and pepper. Toss it all up until it's well combined, then spread out on a big baking sheet. Bake until golden and crisp. This will take anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes. Just keep an eye on them. If you don't feel like turning on your oven and are just making a small batch, you can also " toast " your bread cubes in a big skillet over med. heat on the stove.

 

[kitchenelf]

JoAnn -

"drizzle with olive oil"

- I do it this way when I make croutons for salads but I've never drizzled with oil when drying out to make bread cubes for stuffing. I can't imagine that it would be bad by any means. I've just never run into that process.

I love to make croutons in a skillet like you mentioned! They are the best!

 

[college_cook]

I start out by cutting up about 2 loaves of bread into 1/4- 1/2 inch cubes. Then I get a big bowl and toss them in olive oil until it looks like they all have a nice thin and even coating on them. At this point you can move on to adding herbs, and they will come out a pale golden color. For a deeper golden color I add b/w 1/4-1/2 cup more olive oil.

Once you have your desired amount of oil, it's really as simple as adding the herbs and spices you want, then popping them in the oven. I usually add garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper, and a smaller amount of paprika for color. This is my basic crouton recipe, but you can alter the dried herbs and spices however you like. Onion powder is nice sometimes, as well as dried basil! Have some fun experimenting with it!

Finally it gets between 12-20 minutes in a pre-heated 350 oven. I use ciabatta for this if possible, but any bread will work.

 

[Debbie]

like what herbs do you recommend???


Wow thank you guys for all your help!!!!

 

[kadesma]

Debbie,
I've always used the dried bread cubes for my stuffing. It was good, but nothing special. Last year one of the members and I don't remember who, said try making your own bread for stuffing. I thought okay I can do that, so I made two loaves of the bread recipe that was posted..The day beofre using I defrosted it and the tore it into bite sized pieces, I then just started adding the things we like. Sade, a little poultry seasoning,melted butter and some chicken stock, sauteed celery,onions,parsley,and mushrooms. stuffed my turkey with a little of it and the rest went into a casserole. For the first time in my cooking life, the stuffing was all gone before the next day..It turned out so great that even my brother-in-law, who thought stuffing was yukky had two helpings!!!! So, the bread doesn't have to be dry, you just need to be careful with the amount of stock and butter you add...If you are not into bread making and have a really good bakery, go get several loaves of bread and start with them.

kadesma

 

[kitchenelf]

like what herbs do you recommend???


Wow thank you guys for all your help!!!!

Sage, poultry seasoning, salt, white pepper, thyme, parsley, finely diced/minced onion and celery (I always stuck mine in a blender/food processor), I too use sauteed mushrooms, and I think that's about it. I also boil the neck, livers, gizzard, with some onions, celery, carrots in water and some chicken stock - I use this mixture (strained, except I do mince up the liver and pull the meat off the neckbone) to moisten the bread cubes.

Remember, you are flavoring all those bland breadcrumbs - overseason a bit but you can always ADD - you'll be drying out more breadcrumbs if you overdo it!

 

[KAYLINDA]

I, as Kadesma, don't dry my bread. But then, I usually don't bake it either. I do a stovetop stuffing. Just throw everything I want in a pot...bring to a boil...add torn up bread...and let it steam until it's the dryness I want.

 

[Katie H]

Here's what I do and have been doing for quite a few years.

I purchase generic inexpensive sliced bread and put it in the freezer until it's frozen hard. Then I take 4 pieces of frozen bread at a time and cut into rather large cubes because the cubes will shrink down as the moisture evaporates.

After I've cut the whole loaf into cubes, I put the cubes on the racks of my food dehydrator. I rotate the racks as the bread dries and, in about 2 hours, I have perfectly dried bread cubes for stuffing or croutons.

As I remove the cubes from the dehydrator trays, I put them in a large-holed metal strainer or seive and shake the crumbs into a bag for unflavored bread crumbs.

I used to dry my bread cubes in a low oven but, for me, it took too long and for some silly reason I always wanted to use the oven for something else whenever I was drying bread.

 

[Debbie]

Thank you thank you thank you!!!


​

 

[Alix]

it can't be as easy.. and just cutting up bread into cubes and drying them out can it?

I have been to EVERY store in my city in Canada.. and Have not found ONE bag of dried cubed bread, to make my own stuffing for Their Thanksgiving in October... I asked at every store.. and they look at me like I have two heads.. they say " the boxed stove top is on Aisle 2" ugh! I don't want packaged stuff.. I want to make my own grrr

The bags I used to get in Washington.. were just bread cubes.. with some seasoning of some sort.. help

Debbie, bread cubes are always in the bakery, usually on the bottom shelves. At least they are in every Safeway of every Canadian city I've visited. There will be displays of them this week as Thanksgiving is this coming weekend. Look again. You'll find them. Otherwise, yes it is just as easy as cubing bread and drying it in the oven. I'm sure you have that answer a few times already, I didn't read the whole thread.

 

[Debbie]

Debbie, bread cubes are always in the bakery, usually on the bottom shelves. At least they are in every Safeway of every Canadian city I've visited. There will be displays of them this week as Thanksgiving is this coming weekend. Look again. You'll find them. Otherwise, yes it is just as easy as cubing bread and drying it in the oven. I'm sure you have that answer a few times already, I didn't read the whole thread.

ohhh I soo wish they had safeways here.... I think they just are on the west side of Canada.. maybe? We have Food basics, Canadian superstore, and Sobeys

 

[Alix]

They have them at Sobeys too. I don't shop at Superstore though. But for sure at Sobeys. Ask at the bakery counter if you can't find them.

 

[Debbie]

They have them at Sobeys too. I don't shop at Superstore though. But for sure at Sobeys. Ask at the bakery counter if you can't find them.

I did.. and the manager even said to me... we have a hard time keeping up with bread crumbs, no time for cubes. He said, I could put in an order.. but, I think that... I am going to have some fun, making my own.. I love to make salad croutons.. soooo might as well, make stuffing ones to, right? LOL

 

[Alix]

Well Debbie, I have to say you have me stumped. I have been all over Canada and I have NEVER been anyplace where they didn't sell bread cubes. LOL. You live in a very small town? I think you will find making bread cubes pretty easy. You might just want to use fresh bread for your stuffing if you run out of time. I've done that several times and it works just fine. I'm a pretty simplistic stuffing maker myself though. Nothing very fancy.

Good luck to you and I hope you have a lovely Thanksgiving.