From-Scratch Herb Stuffing Bread, plus stuffing recipe

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From-Scratch Herb Stuffing Bread is essentially baking bread loves for stuffing and baking the seasonings and raisins with the bread. This is, of course, optional. If you want to buy prebought bread, you can simply add the stuffing seasoning in when you are ready to add everything to your crockpot. I love baking it in with the bread because it makes the whole house smell like the holidays a few days before!

For all those people who are in love with stuffing, it is a super fun bread to bake for making sandwiches with leftover thanksgiving or Christmas dinners!

This recipe is basically a recipe for French bread with stuffing seasonings added in and raisins/sultanas or dried cranberries (or both!).

Is stuffing included with your family’s holiday meals? Do you make your stuffing separately or do you stuff your meat? In our family, we make our stuffing separately, so that is what this recipe is going to be based on. If you just want a stuffing recipe, it will be at the bottom of the post after the stuffing bread recipe!

Stuffing Bread Herbs

What herbs are typically used for stuffing, and should they be fresh or dried?

Honestly, either works perfectly. If you have dried herbs, I wouldn’t worry about buying fresh herbs for stuffing. I have never noticed a difference. If you are making stuffing in a crockpot, it is cooked and rehydrated for hours.

The herbs that are typically used in stuffing are parsley, sage, thyme, rosemary. Sage is the main ingredient that really makes it smell like stuffing. If you are missing some of the herbs, the stuffing will turn out just fine, just make sure you have sage!

Crockpot or Oven stuffing

I have made stuffing in both the crockpot and the oven. Our family prefers it in the crockpot. I have never had a big oven, so for a big feast meal, the more things I can cook outside the oven the better. That way, I can dedicate oven space to things like a big roast pan for the meat!

What type of bread?

I think any bread would work fine in stuffing. Just cut and dry your bread out on the counter for a couple days before. If you do not have time, you can cut and dry it out on trays in a very low oven. For this recipe I am using a French bread style bread. French bread, is simple and already a more dry crusty bread. Making an enriched pillowy soft enriched brioche, seems like a waist since you will not notice those things when you dry out and then mix in a crockpot for hours.

A very simple bread, I think, is the best way to go.

Ingredients for herb stuffing bread

1¼ cup hot water (just hot enough to melt the butter)

1 Tablespoon skim milk powder (optional)

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons butter

½ cup warm water

1 teaspoon brown sugar

2 ¼ teaspoon dry active yeast

4 ½ cups all purpose flour

½ teaspoon ground ginger

1 Tablespoon dried rosemary (optional)

1½ Tablespoons dried sage

1 Tablespoon dried thyme (optional)

1 Tablespoon dried parsley (optional)

1/2 cup raisins or sultanas(optional)

1/4 cup dried cranberries (optional)

Method for herb stuffing bread

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the hot water and and milk powder.
2. Add 1 Tablespoon sugar, salt, and butter. Stir to dissolve the salt and sugar and melt the butter.
3. In a small bowl, mix ½ cup warm water, 1 teaspoon sugar. Then add the yeast. It will become foamy, in about 5 mins.
4. Add the yeast mixture to the mixture in the stand mixer.
5. Add ginger, rosemary, sage, thyme, and parsley. Mix.
6. With the dough hook, mix in half of the flour, raisins/sultanas, and cranberries.
7. Mix in the remaining flour and knead for about 5 mins. (or 8 minutes if kneading by hand).
8. Cover, and let rise, in a warm place, for 1 hour (or until doubled in bulk).
9. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Split the dough in 3.
10. Fold each over onto itself a few times, tighten it into a log shape. Cover and let rest 15 minutes.
11. On a lightly floured surface, shape each into a long log about 12-in long.
12. Place all three separated on a baking tray. (I separate mine with silicone mats)
13. Cut 3 slashes on the top of each. Cover and let rise until doubled.(About 1 hour)
14. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C)
15. Bake for 15 mins, then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) for 25 minutes. Or until golden and sounds hollow when tapped.
16. After the bread has cooled enough to handle, slice (or rip into chunks) and let dry on baking sheets for 1-2 days.

The Crockpot Herb Stuffing

Now that the bread is baked, dried, and full of all the holiday flavours, our job is mostly done!

Ingredients for Crockpot Herb Stuffing

3 baguettes (from the previous recipe) cut and dried or 12 cups of bread of choice, cut and dried.

2 Tablespoons butter

8 ribs of celery

½ onion

3 cups of broth (chicken, beef, bone or vegetable)

1 egg

**if you did not pre make herb stuffing bread from this post and are using plain bread**

1 Tablespoon dried rosemary (optional)

1½ Tablespoons dried sage

1 Tablespoon dried thyme (optional)

1 Tablespoon dried parsley (optional)

1/2 cup raisins or sultanas(optional)

1/4 cup dried cranberries (optional)

Method for Crockpot Herb Stuffing

1. Preheat a large frying pan to med/high heat.
2. Wash and chop the onion and celery ribs, (I use the celery leaves too)
3. Add the butter to the pan and fry the onions and celery until they are soft and browned.
4. Meanwhile, add your bread chunks to a large crockpot.
5. Add the cooked vegetables to the crockpot.
6. In a medium bowl, add the egg and broth (if you need to add spices do that now as well), beat to combine.
7. Pour this mixture over the bread and vegetables.
8. If you need to, add the dried fruits.
9. With a large spoon mix everything to moisten the bread and combine the ingredients.
10. Turn on your crockpot to 4 or 6 hour (depending on how many hours away from dinner you are). Cover.
11. Throughout the cooking process, stir every 45 mins-1 hour. Make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom or getting too dry. If needed add more broth. (If too wet leave the lid off close to the end of the cooking time.)

Looking for the perfect Holiday dessert? Try one of these! The Best Old-Fashioned Apple Pie The Perfect Pumpkin Pie