Stale sourdough makes the best stuffing there is. Its open, chewy crumb soaks up stock without turning to paste, and the crust bakes into crisp, craggy edges. This is stuffing baked in a dish rather than inside the bird: it cooks more evenly that way, and everyone gets some of the crunchy top.
It is also a good use for the ends of your loaves in the week before Christmas. Tear them up and leave them out to go stale, or freeze them as you go. The whole dish can be put together on Christmas Eve and baked while the turkey rests.
Ingredients
Stuffing
- 400 g stale sourdough, 2–3 days old
- 60 g butter, plus extra for the dish
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 2 celery sticks, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, grated
- 400 g pork sausage meat
- 12 fresh sage leaves, chopped (or 1 tsp dried sage)
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- A small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 180 g cooked, peeled chestnuts, roughly crumbled
- Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- 2 medium eggs
- 450–550 ml chicken or vegetable stock, warm
- Salt and black pepper
To finish
- 20 g butter, in small pieces
Contains: wheat (gluten), milk, eggs, celery. Check your sausage meat and stock labels too.
Method
- Dry the bread. Heat the oven to 150°C (130°C fan), gas mark 2. Tear the sourdough, crusts and all, into rough 2–3 cm pieces. Spread over two trays and dry for 15–20 minutes, until dry on the outside but not coloured. Tip into your largest bowl. Fresher bread works too; just give it a little longer.
- Soften the vegetables. Melt the 60 g butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat and cook the onions and celery with a pinch of salt for 10–12 minutes until soft and sweet. Add the garlic, sage and thyme and cook for 1 minute more. Tip over the bread.
- Brown the sausage. In the same pan, fry the sausage meat for 6–8 minutes, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned all over. Add it to the bowl with the chestnuts, parsley, lemon zest and plenty of black pepper.
- Soak. Whisk the eggs in a jug, then gradually whisk in 450 ml of the warm stock. Pour it over the bowl and toss everything together well. Leave for 10 minutes, then squeeze a piece of bread: it should be moist right through. If any pieces are still dry in the middle, add more stock a splash at a time.
- Fill the dish. Butter a 20 × 30 cm baking dish and pile the stuffing in loosely; do not press it down, as the rough top is what turns crisp. Dot with the 20 g butter. To make ahead, cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
- Bake. Heat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan), gas mark 5. Bake covered with foil for 20 minutes, then uncovered for 20–25 minutes, until deep golden and crisp on top and piping hot in the middle (75°C on a probe). Straight from the fridge, add 10–15 minutes to the covered time.
Tips
- Bake it while the turkey rests. A turkey needs at least 45 minutes resting under foil, which is about how long the stuffing takes.
- Vegetarian version. Leave out the sausage, fry 250 g chopped chestnut mushrooms until golden instead, use vegetable stock and stir in 50 g grated mature Cheddar.
- Stuffing balls. Squeeze the soaked mixture into 16 balls, set them on a lined tray and bake for 25–30 minutes at the same temperature.
- Leftovers are the best part of the Boxing Day sourdough sandwich.
Need a loaf to go stale? Any of our sourdough recipes works, and there is more for the festive table in our Christmas sourdough recipes.
FAQ
How stale should sourdough be for stuffing?
Two or three days old is ideal: firm and dry on the outside but not rock hard. Even very fresh bread works if you dry the torn pieces in a low oven for a little longer first.
Can I make sourdough stuffing the day before?
Yes. Assemble it on Christmas Eve, cover and refrigerate, then bake it on the day, adding 10–15 minutes to the covered baking time. Add a splash of stock first if it looks dry.
Can I cook this stuffing inside the turkey?
We would not. Stuffing inside the cavity slows down how quickly the bird cooks through and is harder to get piping hot in the middle. Baked in a dish it cooks evenly and gets a crisp top.
Bake this with a live starter
Our San Francisco sourdough starter is a live culture: add 75 g flour and 75 g warm water and it is usually bubbly and ready to bake with in about two hours. A starter makes a good stocking filler too — see our sourdough starter gifts.
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