Old Fashioned Bread Stuffing

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Canadian Thanksgiving is less than 2 weeks away and it got me thinking about Thanksgivings gone by. When I first moved to Alberta,  Thanksgiving was the very first holiday I had to be away from home and it was depressing.

So my sweet parents drove 15 hours, with a turkey (and roaster!) in tow, just so that we didn’t have to spend Thanksgiving apart. And since there are some traditions that you just have to have at Thanksgiving, my Mom also made our family’s Old Fashioned Bread Stuffing. Unfortunately, there was one important thing I didn’t have for the dinner.

Just like Christmas without Butter tarts, Thanksgiving just wouldn’t be the same without this stuffing. Turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy and  Pumpkin Pie with whipped cream are also traditional Thanksgiving staples in my world. But my Mashed Turnip & Apple Casserole has also become a beloved tradition for my family. Add some cranberry sauce and veggies (peas are our fave) and you have the PERFECT Thanksgiving dinner!

Old Fashioned Bread Stuffing

This is my Grandma’s Old Fashioned Bread Stuffing recipe and it’s about as old fashioned as you can get. It’s the same recipe that my family has been using for generations. I believe it originally came from The Fives Roses Cookbook, which is well over 100 years old.

Also known as Savoury Stuffing, this stuffing is straight up traditional. That means it’s savory and contains no sweet stuff like apples. Nor is there any sausage or nuts in it.  It’s simple and it’s pure.

Turkey Stuffing Recipe

The great thing about this turkey stuffing recipe is that it’s sooo easy! You can cook it all in one pot. And you can stuff it into a turkey or you can simply cook it as a side dish. I usually cook some in the turkey and some on the side, then combine them for the perfect combination of texture and flavor.

Thanksgiving Stuffing

So, aside from bringing the turkey and the roaster, my parents had to run out and buy us a decent knife to actually carve the turkey with. Given the fact that I’d never actually had the need to carve a turkey, nor was I much of a cook at the time, I didn’t even own a proper knife. Aside from Thanksgiving Stuffing, a decent knife is definitely another Thanksgiving staple.

So, if you need a proper knife for turkey carving…Here are my Amazon Recommendations (affiliate links)

What tradition can you not live without at Thanksgiving?

You probably have a lot of your own traditions, but if you’re looking for some new ones, then check out these Thanksgiving Traditions you will want to steal!

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5 from 5 votes

Old Fashioned Bread Stuffing

This Old Fashioned Bread Stuffing is straight up traditional. That means it's savory, not sweet. And it's an easy turkey stuffing, containing no sweet stuff like apples and sausage; it's simple and pure.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American, Canadian, North American

Keyword dressing, stuffing, turkey

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Servings 10 servings

Calories 230kcal

Ingredients

• 1 ⅓ cup unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion
• 5 sticks celery, chopped
• 5 loaves dried bread- I use a variety including rye, brown , white, anything I have
• 3 tsp salt
• 2 tsp peppper
• 2 tbsp poultry seasoning
• 3 tbsp parsley, dried

Instructions

• Leave the slices of bread out to dry overnight. * I use cookie sheets and turn it before going to bed.

  If you forget or don't have time, you can dry it in the oven - see *NOTES.

  But as long as it's not really soft it's fine to use.
• Cut into cubes.
  
• On the stove top, over medium heat, saute onion and celery in 1 cup butter in large pot until soft- about 7 minutes.
• Combine ½ of the bread and spices.
  
• Heat, stirring continually until it shrinks down by about ½.
  
• Melt remaining ⅓ cup butter in microwave, then add remaining bread and spices.
  
• Then pour butter over top of it and stir continually until softened. (about 5-7 minutes)
• Stuff turkey with stuffing.*I can usually only get about ¼ of this into a 13-15 lb turkey, so I bake the remainder separately.
  
• To bake the remaining stuffing separately, spray a couple of 9X13 pans with nonstick cooking spray and add remaining stuffing, spreading evenly. 
  
• Bake turkey in oven according to directions for how you usually cook a stuffed turkey. * I cook my stuffed turkey for 25 minutes per lb (if it's a 10-16 lb turkey). It takes about 5 hours. But do NOT put the stuffing in yet.
  
• When turkey has been cooking for about 1.5 hours, Fill your baster from the turkey pan juices and squirt about 3-4 full syringes onto stuffing in pans. Cover tightly and seal with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.
• Remove and baste again ( 2-3 syringes full). Again, cover tightly with foil, then return to oven and cook for another 20 minutes.
• Remove the pans of stuffing from oven. *It may be a little dry, but not to worry, you'll mix it with the stuffing from the turkey when it's done.
• When turkey is done, take out stuffing and mix with baked stuffing in a large bowl. It will now be the perfect moistness/texture.

Notes

*NOTE: How to oven dry bread

Nutrition Facts

Old Fashioned Bread Stuffing

Amount Per Serving

Calories 230 Calories from Fat 225

% Daily Value*

Fat 25g38%

Saturated Fat 16g100%

Cholesterol 65mg22%

Sodium 721mg31%

Potassium 93mg3%

Carbohydrates 3g1%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 1g2%

Vitamin A 965IU19%

Vitamin C 3mg4%

Calcium 30mg3%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition

Calories: 230kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 721mg | Potassium: 93mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 965IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1mg

This post is part ofThe Country Cook Weekend Potluck!