You're going to love this apple sourdough stuffing! Made with some of the best flavors of the season including crisp bacon and apples, it has that signature sourdough flavor that everyone loves.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Stuffing Recipe With Sourdough Bread
- Ingredient Information and Substitutions
- How To Make Stuffing With Sourdough Bread
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Tips For Making Sourdough Bread Stuffing
- What To Serve With This Sourdough Bread Stuffing Recipe
- Other Great Thanksgiving Recipes To Try
- Hosting Thanksgiving?
- Apple Sourdough Stuffing
Why You'll Love This Stuffing Recipe With Sourdough Bread
While I'm not personally a huge lover of stuffing, I have to say this recipe is a true winner! Sourdough bread adds just the right amount of the signature flavor you can only get from sourdough bread and the addition of bacon and apples added the perfect savory and sweet flavors.
This easy holiday recipe is a proven winner on any Thanksgiving table. It's a traditional with just the right amount of a twist to keep things interesting. Here's why you've got to try this:
- Fun twist on a traditional recipe
- Delicious seasonal flavors
- Ready in under an hour
- Can easily be prepped ahead and baked just before serving (or fully made ahead and reheated!
Ingredient Information and Substitutions
- Sourdough bread- I use store bought but you can totally make your own. You'll need around 8 cups of 1.5 inch chunks, so a large loaf or two small loaves. Stale is best, so cut it the day before.
- Bacon- 4 slices, regular cut, diced up is the way to go, so they get nice and crispy. You'll definitely be using the grease as well.
- Salted Butter- for fat and richness.
- Veggies- Onion, celery and garlic add fantastic flavor and texture.
- Apples- Go with an apple that holds up well to cooking. My favorite is RubyFrost but Granny Smith or Braeburn are great too.
- Seasonings- salt and black pepper are always a must, and poultry seasoning brings the holiday flavors into the mix. If you don't have poultry seasoning on hand, a mix of thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary and nutmeg work.
- Broth- Turkey broth is preferable but chicken broth works well too.
How To Make Stuffing With Sourdough Bread
Step 1- Cut the bread and toast.
Cut your sourdough into 1 ½ inch chunks and leave out over night to get stale.
Prior to preparing the dressing, toast the bread chunks for 20 minutes at 350 degrees F. Spray a 9" x 13" baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
Step 2- Fry the bacon.
Place the diced bacon into a large skillet and cook over medium heat until crispy, stirring frequently for about 8 minutes. Remove the bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon but leave the grease. Set bacon aside.
Step 3- Cook veggies.
Add butter to the pan and melt fully.
Add onion and celery to the pan and cook until softened, about 5 minutes stirring often. Stir in apples and garlic and cook a minute or two more until fragrant.
Step 4- Season and deglaze.
Season with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning and then deglaze the pan with ¾ cup of broth, gently scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon.
Step 5- Add bread, bacon and broth.
Add the bread, bacon and remaining broth to the pan. Stir and fold everything together until it's well combined and the bread is just starting to break down from absorbing the broth.
Step 6- Bake the dressing
Pour the dressing mixture into the prepared baking pan and bake uncovered for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
While letting the bread stay out to get stale the night before cooking is preferable, the toasting helps keep the bread from breaking down too much, so you can skip this step if needed. Just know the bread may break down a bit more.
Yes- you have 2 options. The first in to prep the recipe but not bake it. Cool completely, cover and refrigerate and remove from the fridge 1 hour prior to baking then bake per recipe directions. The other option is to full make and cool completely. Reheat covered in foil at 350 degrees F until heated through to 145 degrees F (you can uncover for the last couple minutes to crisp up the top).
Yes! Follow the recipe directions until to you bake and instead place the stuffing inside your turkey cavity and roast per your turkey recipe directions. Make sure the temperature of the stuffing is at least 165 degrees F prior to serving to avoid foodborne illness.
Tips For Making Sourdough Bread Stuffing
- Leave the bread chunks out overnight. Letting them get a little stale helps avoid the bread getting too mushy once the broth is added. Toasting them prior to adding to the stuffing mixture also helps with this.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon from the pan. This allows the grease to stay in the pan and contribute to the delicious flavor.
- Deglaze the pan before adding the rest of the ingredients. This allows you to get any of those delicious brown bits off the bottom of the pan- they add so much flavor!
- Make this ahead- you have 2 options. The first in to prep the recipe but not bake it. Cool completely, cover and refrigerate and remove from the fridge 1 hour prior to baking then bake per recipe directions. The other option is to full make and cool completely. Reheat covered in foil at 350 degrees F until heated through to 145 degrees F (you can uncover for the last couple minutes to crisp up the top).
- How to safely stuff the turkey with this stuffing- Follow the recipe directions until to you bake and instead place the stuffing inside your turkey cavity and roast per your turkey recipe directions. Make sure the temperature of the stuffing is at least 165 degrees F prior to serving to avoid foodborne illness.
- Prep Ahead- Chop onions and celery, peel garlic, wash apples, cut bread and leave out to get stale and dice bacon.
- Leftovers and Reheating- This lasts up to 3 days covered in the refrigerator and can be reheated in the microwave or at 350 degrees F in the oven- be sure to cover with foil for baking until the last few minutes so the top doesn't burn.
What To Serve With This Sourdough Bread Stuffing Recipe
Round out your Thanksgiving Dinner with these killer recipes:
- Smoked Turkey Breast
- Gouda Mashed Potatoes
- Savory Green Beans and Mushrooms
- Citrus Cranberry Chutney
- Bourbon Apple Pie
Other Great Thanksgiving Recipes To Try
Hosting Thanksgiving?
Discover the secret to hosting Thanksgiving without all the stress! Prepsgiving is your FREE guide to making a delicious Thanksgiving feast the easy way.
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5 star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below ⬇️ and/or a review in the comment section further down. Check out my Amazon Store for all my favorite tools, including those used in this recipe. And follow @thelifejolie on Instagram and TikTok!
Apple Sourdough Stuffing
Equipment
- 1 Skillet
Ingredients
- 8 cups day-old sourdough bread cut into 1 ½ inch chunks this was around 1 loaf for me but it will depend on the size of your loaves
- Cooking spray
- 4 slices bacon diced
- 2 Tablespoons salted butter
- 1 ¼ cup diced onion
- ½ cup diced celery
- 2 cups diced apples I like to use RubyFrost apples
- 3 large garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 3 ¾ cups turkey broth or chicken broth
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a sheet pan with parchment.
- Spread bread chunks onto pan in a single layer (use multiple pans if you need to) and toast in oven for 20 minutes.
- While the bread toasts, fry bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp stirring often, about 8 minutes. Once crisp, remove with slotted spoon leaving grease in the pan.
- Add butter to the pan and melt.
- Add onions and celery and sauté for around 4-5 minutes, stirring often to soften.
- Add apple and garlic and sauté a minute more until fragrant.
- Season with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning and deglaze the pan ¾ cup broth.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer broth for 2 minutes.
- Add bread, bacon and remaining broth to the pan and stir well to combine until the bread has absorbed most of the liquid. As you stir, the bread break down. You can leave some chunky or stir until it's fully broken down, depending on your texture preference (I like to leave some chunks for a little texture).
- Pour the mixture into a greased 9" x 13" pan and spread into an even layer.
- Bake uncovered for 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Check it half way through and if it browns too quickly, cover in foil.
Notes
- Leave the bread chunks out overnight. Letting them get a little stale helps avoid the bread getting too mushy once the broth is added. Toasting them prior to adding to the stuffing mixture also helps with this.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon from the pan. This allows the grease to stay in the pan and contribute to the delicious flavor.
- Deglaze the pan before adding the rest of the ingredients. This allows you to get any of those delicious brown bits off the bottom of the pan- they add so much flavor!
- Make this ahead- you have 2 options. The first in to prep the recipe but not bake it. Cool completely, cover and refrigerate and remove from the fridge 1 hour prior to baking then bake per recipe directions. The other option is to full make and cool completely. Reheat covered in foil at 350 degrees F until heated through to 145 degrees F (you can uncover for the last couple minutes to crisp up the top).
- How to safely stuff the turkey with this stuffing- Follow the recipe directions until to you bake and instead place the stuffing inside your turkey cavity and roast per your turkey recipe directions. Make sure the temperature of the stuffing is at least 165 degrees F prior to serving to avoid foodborne illness.
- Prep Ahead- Chop onions and celery, peel garlic, wash apples, cut bread and leave out to get stale and dice bacon.
- Leftovers and Reheating- This lasts up to 3 days covered in the refrigerator and can be reheated in the microwave or at 350 degrees F in the oven- be sure to cover with foil for baking until the last few minutes so the top doesn't burn.
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