Apple Sourdough Stuffing

A close up image of a spoon with a scoop of sourdough dressing.

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.

Course side, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1 10

Total Time 1 10

Servings servings

Calories 147kcal

Author Jessy Freimann

Equipment

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.

Nutrition