We wait all year for Thanksgiving, bake up a storm for 3 days prior, then POOF!
It’s all over in about 30 minutes flat.
The soft dinner roll leaking its melting pat of butter; bright, tangy fresh-cranberry sauce; the perfectly roasted bird, mashed potatoes enhanced with cream, the family’s favorite comfort-food side dish (green bean casserole? Sweet potatoes with marshmallow?)…
Enjoyed, and gone.
Gone – but in some cases, not forgotten. While the chocolate cream pie and cherry cheesecake may have vanished, and the turkey been turned into pot pie and soup, you can re-create stuffing’s wonderful signature flavor any time of the year – without even resorting to Stove Top.
This loaf smells just like stuffing as it bakes. Cut a couple of slices of the cooled bread, sandwich it around some turkey and cranberry sauce, and you can enjoy the Thanksgiving dinner experience all over again.
This time without the dishes.
Let’s bake up a Thanksgiving Stuffing Loaf.
Click anywhere on this block of pictures to enlarge them to full size - this will work for any of the photos you see in this blog post.
Place the following ingredients in a mixing bowl:
2 3/4 cups (11 1/2 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons celery salt + 1/8 teaspoon regular salt*
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning or Bell’s seasoning; or use your favorite combination of thyme, sage, rosemary, marjoram, and nutmeg
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 large egg
1/2 cup finely diced onion
3 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil
3/4 cup lukewarm water
*Substitute 1 teaspoon celery seeds + 1 1/4 teaspoons regular salt, if desired.
Mix and knead everything together to make a soft, supple dough.
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl or large (8-cup) measuring cup, cover it, and let it rise until it’s doubled in size, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Gently deflate the dough, and shape it into an 8″ log. Place it in a lightly greased 8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ loaf pan.
Cover the pan, and allow the bread to rise for about an hour, until it’s crowned about 1″ over the rim of the pan.
Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Uncover the bread, and bake it for 35 to 40 minutes, tenting it lightly with foil after 20 minutes if it appears to be browning too quickly. When the bread is done, it’ll be golden brown, and its internal temperature will register at least 190°F on an instant-read thermometer.
Remove the bread from the oven.
For a soft, satiny, buttery crust, run a stick of butter over the bread’s top surface.
Gently loosen the edges of the loaf, and turn it out onto a rack to cool.
I know it’s hard to wait – but cool completely before slicing!
Can’t you just smell the lovely aroma of this herb-y bread? It’s delicious toasted and served with scrambled eggs at breakfast; or made into a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch; or dried out and mixed into strata (savory bread pudding); or…
And don’t forget the turkey sandwiches!
Read, bake, and review (please) our recipe for Thanksgiving Stuffing Loaf.
Print just the recipe.
November 23rd, 2012 at 3:25 am
I keep meaning to make this – how do you think it would do with some White Whole Wheat?
I think it would do just fine – the more www you substitute, the less the rise (especially since there’s already cornmeal in there), so I’d say start by subbing in 3/4 cup. If you like it, increase the next time. You also might try substituting 1/4 cup orange juice for 1/4 cup of the water, to “temper” any strong whole wheat flavor (unless you like the ww flavor)… Good luck – PJH
November 23rd, 2012 at 9:47 am
What on earth is that covering the bread while it is rising? Is it a shower cap? It looks truly ingenious whatever it is. I usually use a piece of cling wrap but often keeps my bread from rising nicely like yours did. I would love to know what that is you used.
Yes, disposable shower caps are the new trend in dough coverage! Plastic wrap is also fine to use over the bowl while the dough is rising. ~Amy
November 23rd, 2012 at 11:46 am
This sounds just awesome and the perfect bread for turkey/cranberry sandwiches! If I am not fond of the cornmeal texture and want to leave it out, what adjustments in flour/moisture do I need to make? Thanks!
November 23rd, 2012 at 8:00 pm
Not only have I made this bread in the past, I have made it and used it for “the stuffing”. You know the one…the beloved Thanksgiving Day Stuffing. It is a great bread for left overs, and if you use it for “the stuffing” (sorry for the “quotes” but my family thinks Thanksgiving is all about the stuffing!! teehee) it just gives a leg up on the flavor. Spent the holiday eve and the day of this year with my adult niece making Thanksgiving. She was living out of state for the last few years and I told her that one Thanksgiving while she was away I made this bread for the stuffing. Funny, I logged on today and here it is!!!!!!!!!! Very good. Anyone reading this comment, practice and make a loaf. Then imagine how much better your stuffing or sandwiches will be. Hope all you fine folk at KA had a nice holiday. You guys (and this blog) are one of the day-to-day things I am thankful for xoxoxo
And we are so thankful for you! ~Amy
November 27th, 2012 at 12:00 am
Do any changes need to be made if I leave out the cornmeal? Thanks! You are awesome
I’d replace it with 1/4 cup flour, as it will absorb moisture and you don’t want the bread to be too wet. ~MaryJane
November 28th, 2012 at 9:27 pm
When I make stuffing I almost always add some dried fruit, raisins, cherries. apricots, apples. How about adding dried cranberries to the bread? How much water would you add to account for the absorption by the fruit? This looks like it’d be a fave with my spouse. Gotta try it.
The amount of water would depend on the fruit. If you wanted to bypass having to add more water, you could always soak your fruit in hot water before mixing them into your bread dough. Just make sure they are room temperature before doing so!-Jon
December 1st, 2012 at 1:57 pm
I had never made stuffing before (I am one of those strange people who don’t like the stuff) but decided to make it this year instead of handing off the responsibility to someone else. Found a recipe for making it in the crock-pot and then stumbled upon this recipe. I decided to make this instead of buying bread to use. I wound up making two loaves a couple of days before Thanksgiving. Wow, did the baking bread make my house smell wonderful! I let the bread sit on the rack for about 24 hours before bagging it so that it would “stale” a little bit. Cubed it up and put it in the crock-pot with the rest of the ingredients and the stuffing was a HUGE hit! I made sure to pin it to Pinterest so I can easily find it for next time I need it. Thanks so much!
Sounds like you’ll be elected to make the stuffing every year! Kudos to you – happy baking (and stuffing making)! Irene @ KAF
December 5th, 2012 at 11:37 am
What changes would I need to make, if any, if I wanted to make this into dinner rolls instead of a loaf of bread? Should I rise the dough, make the roll shapes and then let it rise again? Bread making is a new venture for me, especially outside of my bread machine. Cynthia
You are spot on, that is exactly how you make rolls out of your favorite loaf recipes. ~ MaryJane
January 30th, 2013 at 6:38 am
Can I just increase the amounts by 1/2 for a 13″ Pullman pan?
That would be my suggestion, except for the yeast! Increase the yeast by 25% instead of 50% for the larger recipe. It might require a little patience, but because yeast is exponential, you won’t need nearly as much for larger batches. Also, if you bake with the lid on your pan, be sure to let the dough only rise within an inch of the top (or you’ll have a dough explosion to deal with!) Best, Kim@KAF