Brioche Stuffing (No Carrot)

briochestuffingnocarrot Buttery brioche bread is combined with onion, celery, fresh rosemary and fresh sage to make this recipe for Classic Brioche Stuffing. This savoury side dish will complete your Thanksgiving dinner and leave you wanting to refill your plate over and over again.

1 loaf brioche bread
2 cups chicken broth
2 eggs
¼ cup fresh parsley, diced
1 Tbsp. fresh sage, diced
1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, diced
½ tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
1 tsp. sea salt
1 stick butter
2 cups onions, diced
2 cups celery, chopped

Preheat your oven to 275°F (140°C/120°C fan, Gas Mark 1).

Tear the brioche bread into approximately 1" chunks. You'll want the chunks to all be about the same size. Spread them out in an even layer on a baking sheet and bake in your preheated oven for 45 minutes, until the bread is completely dried out. Remove from the oven when finished.

Combine the chicken broth, eggs, parsley, sage, rosemary, salt and pepper in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Whisk together until fully mixed and then set aside.

In a large frying pan, melt the stick of butter over low to medium heat. Add the chopped celery and onion. Sauté until the celery and onion are soft and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Increase the oven temperature to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4). Grease the inside of a 9x13" baking dish with butter.

Transfer the bread to a large mixing bowl. Pour the bowl of liquid ingredients (broth, eggs, herbs, seasonings) and the butter, melted, sautéed onions and sautéed celery over top of the brioche bread cubes. Thoroughly mix the ingredients together, until they're fully incorporated and all of the chunks of bread have become saturated in liquid.

Transfer the stuffing mixture to your greased casserole dish. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes in your preheated oven. Uncover and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes, until the top of the stuffing is brown and crispy.

Remove from the oven, let cool for about 15 minutes, serve and enjoy.

Makes 8-10 servings.

Cook's Notes:

Stuffing can be prepared up to 24 hours in advance. Once you've assembled your stuffing in the casserole dish, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator until you're ready to bake it. When you're ready to bake the stuffing, bring it up to room temperature and then bake as directed.
Don't add extra butter. I originally tested this recipe using an additional ½ stick of butter. The extra butter was not needed. I believe this is because brioche bread is already rich in buttery flavour.
Mix thoroughly. You don't want any stuffing cubes to go into the oven dry. Keep mixing the stuffing combination until all the stuffing cubes are soft and moist.
Bake separately. It's best to bake your stuffing in a separate dish, not inside the turkey. This ensures even cooking and will prevent food safety issues.
Test for doneness using a digital meat thermometer. The center of the stuffing should be cooked to 165°F.

Variations and Substitutions:

Brioche Bread: Common substitutions for stuffing with brioche are Hawaiian bread and challah bread. Hawaiian, challah and brioche all have eggs and butter as essential ingredients.
Vegetables: In addition to the celery and onion, you can add chopped carrots, mushrooms, garlic and a variety of fall root vegetables
Other Additions: Fresh thyme, walnuts and dried cranberries are also all commonly found in recipes for Thanksgiving stuffing. This is a vegetarian stuffing recipe, but feel free to add crumbly sausage if you'd like.

Make-Ahead:

Homemade stuffing can be a little time-consuming to make. Luckily, it's possible to prep some of the recipe steps ahead of time. Brioche stuffing can be prepared up to 24 hours in advance.
Once you've assembled your stuffing in the casserole dish, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator until you're ready to bake it.
When you're ready to bake the stuffing, bring it up to room temperature, then bake as directed.

Storage:

Store leftover stuffing in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Reheat leftover brioche stuffing in the microwave, on the stovetop, or in the oven. Reheat leftovers in the oven in an oven-safe dish at 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4). Heat for 20 minutes covered with foil and another 20 minutes uncovered. If the stuffing starts to dry out, add a splash of chicken or vegetable broth.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is the best bread to use for stuffing? You'll want to use sturdy bread that is cut into thick slices. If your bread is already stale and dried out, even better. The most common breads used are brioche, Italian, challah and cornbread.
What makes a brioche different from most breads? Brioche bread is made with butter and eggs, while most other breads are only made with flour, water, yeast and salt.
What is brioche best used for? Brioche is often used in sweet recipes, such as French toast. It does well in savoury recipes as well, though, due to its rich and buttery flavour.