Bread Stuffing

By tulawdog

Ingredients

• 1 loaf hearty white sandwich bread (24-ounces), cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 16 cups)
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 2 onions, chopped fine
• 3 celery ribs, chopped fine
• 4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried sage
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper

Preparation

Step 1

. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 325 degrees. Arrange bread in single layer on 2 baking sheets. Bake until golden, about 30 minutes, stirring bread and switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking. Let cool.

2. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in large skillet over medium heat. Cook onions and celery until golden, about 10 minutes. Stir in garlic, sage, and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth and soy sauce and simmer until slightly thickened and vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes.

3. Whisk eggs, half-and-half, parsley, salt, and pepper in large bowl. Slowly whisk in warm onion mixture until incorporated. Fold in toasted bread and let sit, tossing occasionally, until bread is saturated, about 20 minutes.

4. Transfer stuffing to greased 13- by 9-inch pan. Melt remaining butter and drizzle evenly over stuffing. Bake on lower-middle rack until top is golden brown and crisp, about 50 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes. Serve.

Make Ahead: The stuffing can be prepared through step 3 and refrigerated, covered, for 1 day. When ready to bake, proceed with step 4, increasing cooking time by about 20 minutes.