Do I need to dry out bread for stuffing?

It definitely helps. Day-old, stale, or oven-toasted bread is best for giving the dish texture and preventing mushiness or soggy spots. This bread stuffing recipe calls for day-old white sandwich bread, which you can dry out further by tearing into pieces and leaving on a baking sheet on the counter for a few hours. Cornbread stuffing will sometimes skip this step, since cornbread is crumblier and less squishy than packaged sandwich breads, but feel free to cut or tear it into small pieces and dry in the same way if desired.

What cornbread should I use?

This bread stuffing recipe will work just fine with store-bought cornbread, but it can feel extra special to make it yourself. Go with your family favorite, or try one of Food & Wine's many cornbread recipes , gathered from chefs like Erick Williams (whose cornbread is a must-order at his Chicago restaurant, Virtue) and Carla Hall (who makes a skillet cornbread that contains a whole can of creamed corn).

Kish Family Two Bread Stuffing Recipe

Name: Kish Family Two-Bread Stuffing
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 16 servings
Ingredients: Unsalted butter, for greasing; 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 4 cups finely chopped yellow onions; 4 cups finely chopped celery; 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh sage; 1 tablespoon grated garlic; 12 cups prepared cornbread, torn into 1-inch pieces (about 1 1/3 pounds); 2 (1-pound) day-old white sandwich bread loaves, torn into 1-inch pieces; 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley; 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more to taste; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 6 cups chicken stock or canned lower-sodium broth

Kish Family Two-Bread Stuffing

4.6

(8)

9 Reviews

Kristen Kish's mom first made this blended bread stuffing recipe — part white bread, part cornbread — as a compromise. Turns out two breads are better than one.

Kristen Kish

Updated on November 1, 2018

Kish Family Two-Bread Stuffing — Credit: Eva Kolenko

Active Time:

40 mins

Total Time:

55 mins

Yield:

16 servings

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Ingredients

Unsalted butter, for greasing
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups finely chopped yellow onions
4 cups celery, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh sage, finely chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, grated
12 cups prepared cornbread, torn into 1-inch pieces (about 1 1/3 pounds)
2 (1-pound) day-old white sandwich bread loaves, torn into 1-inch pieces
3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
6 cups chicken stock or canned lower-sodium broth

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 2 (13- x 9-inch) baking dishes with butter. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add onions and celery, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, about 10 minutes. Add sage and garlic, and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Transfer cooked vegetables to a large bowl. Add cornbread, sandwich bread, parsley, salt, and pepper; stir until well combined. Gradually stir in stock until breads are evenly moistened. Scrape mixture into prepared baking dishes. Bake in preheated oven until hot and lightly browned, about 30 minutes.

About this recipe

Kristen Kish’s mom came up with this two-bread stuffing recipe to please both sides of her family: half from Michigan, where white bread is the go-to for this Thanksgiving side, and half from Texas, where they demand cornbread. Here, the host (and one-time winner) of Top Chef shares the results of her family's delicious Thanksgiving compromise. The unique combination of breads adds textural interest, while sage and aromatics keep the flavor profile classic. With a bread stuffing recipe as good as this one, everyone wins.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to dry out bread for stuffing?

It definitely helps. Day-old, stale, or oven-toasted bread is best for giving the dish texture and preventing mushiness or soggy spots. This bread stuffing recipe calls for day-old white sandwich bread, which you can dry out further by tearing into pieces and leaving on a baking sheet on the counter for a few hours. Cornbread stuffing will sometimes skip this step, since cornbread is crumblier and less squishy than packaged sandwich breads, but feel free to cut or tear it into small pieces and dry in the same way if desired.
What cornbread should I use?

This bread stuffing recipe will work just fine with store-bought cornbread, but it can feel extra special to make it yourself. Go with your family favorite, or try one of Food & Wine's many cornbread recipes, gathered from chefs like Erick Williams (whose cornbread is a must-order at his Chicago restaurant, Virtue) and Carla Hall (who makes a skillet cornbread that contains a whole can of creamed corn).

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

This double-batch recipe makes two full 13- x 9-inch pans of bread stuffing, so it's best for those who need to feed a crowd — or who consider leftovers one of the best parts of Thanksgiving. If you have more excess than you know what to do with, try making a recipe designed for repurposing Thanksgiving leftovers — for stuffing, we're partial to stuffing-and-mashed-potato "falafels" or the classic, slightly ridiculous but oh-so-delicious Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich.