Tidy Friday Homemade Box Stuffing Mix
The basis of great stuffing at your fingertips, all year round.
ONE OF THE BEST PRACTICES I LEARNED IN IRELAND IS THE ART OF DOUBLE CARBING. At first I was afraid, I was horrified. But then I became convinced that the lunacy of a stuffing sandwich is actually genius. Bread inside more bread. To be precise, stale bread between two slices of - hopefully- fresh bread. Welded together with mayonnaise and possibly a slice or two of ham and turkey.
I love stuffing but it’s not a thing in South Africa where I grew up. I remember tasting it for the first time age 9 when my dad made the most glorious Thanksgiving stuffing recipe from a magazine. I can still remember it clearly: golden fried onions, celery, sausage meat, apple chunks, raisins, sage and of course breadcrumbs and lots of butter. The only negative of it was that there wasn’t enough of it. There almost never is - I could really do with a lasagne dish of stuffing to be honest.
Stuffing doesn’t just taste good, it is also an excellent use of stale bread, actually much better than fresh. Bread and bakery products are the third most wasted food across all food sectors: retail, hotels, hospitals, catering and domestic use. It really is such a waste throwing out bread or any baked goods, there are so many delicious recipes to use it up. And ironically, the more dried out it is, the better the bread works in recipes as it will crisp up more as is the case with croutons. And stale bread soaks up liquid better, for example French toast.
If you’re not convinced yet, let me appeal to your taste buds and your festive gut microbiome. By using your own choice in - and better quality bread - your stuffing will naturally taste better and digest better too. I love using the heels of sourdough loaves and other nice breads. You can even go gluten-free, which is not a bad idea with all the food our bodies have to deal with. If I eat styrofoam bread I feel like a python that has swallowed a rabbit: you can picture the onerous lump slowly moving laboriously down the length of the body. That’s me on the couch. Pretty picture, huh? At least I donated the hideous zebra pants!
So let me introduce you to the ultimate homemade box stuffing mix that you can make throughout the year, no stingy stuffing scenarios! And save this recipe as I have a plan for it coming up in the next issue.
Tidy Friday Homemade Box Stuffing Mix
Makes 2 batches
This stuffing mix recipe is as close as I can get it to the shop bought box version, without the dodgy ingredients. This isn't my super deluxe version with sausage meat, pistachios and apricots, but that recipe would kill 'ya if eaten more than once a year anyway. This is a really homely recipe that you have complete control over and can customise with all the tasty add ins. And not to mention, never throw a heel of stale bread away again! PS: I’m working on dehydrating onions and celery in the Airfryer, will keep you in the loop.
Stuffing mix:
6 cups of stale bread, cubed or blitzed in a food processor into crumbs
2 tbsp dried parsley
2 tbsp onion flakes (I buy these in Dunnes Stores)
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried sage
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp celery salt or Herbamare by A.Vogel (my favourite low salt herbal seasoning, see below)
1 tsp ground black pepper
Optional Add Ins:
Dried rosemary
Dried cranberries
Chopped dried apricots
Pistachios
Pecans
Lemon zest
To bake: for one batch
275ml stock
2 tbsp butter, melted
Optional: sautéed fresh onion and celery
Method:
Spread the bread out onto two baking trays and dry out for 10 minutes in a 180°C oven. Or just leave out to air dry for a few hours, you don't need the oven.
Mix all the seasonings in a jar and shake well.
Sprinkle the seasoning over the trays of bread cubes or crumbs and mix well with your hands.
Divide the mixture in two. You can keep the homemade stuffing mix in an airtight container in the pantry for a week. Or up to 2 months in the freezer.
To bake: take one batch of stuffing mix and stir in the stock and melted butter. Spoon into a small baking dish and bake at 180°C for 15 to 20 minutes until hot through and golden on top.
The famous Herbamare, been around forever. Tastes great and moderates salt intake. Good as a table seasoning for the heavy handed salt lovers. More importantly, excellent in a Bloody Mary.
Stay safe, stay, sane and Happy Cooking!
xoxo
Rozanne