I Made Thanksgiving Stuffing 3 Ways—Only 1 Didn't Turn to Mush

As an immigrant married to a first-generation American, Thanksgiving isn't a significant holiday for me. But as a private chef and food stylist, I have cooked dozens of classic Thanksgiving mains and sides, including turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and stuffing. The question that comes up most frequently when I prepare stuffing is whether to use fresh, oven-dried, or stale bread. Does it truly make a difference, and if so, how drastically? 

To find out, I decided to make three batches of former editor Kenji's classic sage and sausage stuffing: one with fresh bread, another with stale bread, and yet another with oven-dried bread. All were prepared with white sandwich bread. I noted each stuffing's flavor and texture the day it was made and the two days after to see which would hold up best for making ahead or for storing as leftovers.

The Tests

Fresh Bread

The 3/4-inch cubes of fresh bread absorbed the broth, egg, and butter mixture almost immediately, becoming quite mushy as I gently mixed them with the sausage and vegetables. As the stuffing baked, the moist bread clumped up in some spots, creating dense, gummy pockets that made the stuffing unpleasant to eat. I covered the baking dish and refrigerated it overnight. The next day, I popped the whole covered baking dish of stuffing into a 350°F (175°C) oven for 20 minutes, then uncovered it for another 10 minutes to crisp the tops. 

Though the stuffing was still flavorful, it was still quite wet. By the third day, the stuffing had lost most of its structure and had become pasty. Though reheating the stuffing in the oven helped to crisp the top, it remained stodgy and moist within.

The Verdict

Fresh bread does not hold its shape well and quickly becomes stodgy, making it a poor choice for stuffing.

Oven-Dried Bread

In their testing, both Kenji and Serious Eats editorial director Daniel found that oven-dried bread tends to be more rapidly absorbent than stale bread. Given their findings, I wanted to see if this would hold true in my own tests. I followed Kenji's instructions and spread 3/4-inch cubes of bread evenly over two rimmed baking trays, then baked them in a 275°F (135°C) oven until completely dried. Once cooled, I incorporated them into his stuffing. 

Though the dried bread crumbled slightly when I mixed it with the other ingredients, it retained most of its shape and became beautifully crisp in the oven. The bread absorbed the flavor and the liquid mixture well, and was nicely custardy on the inside.I reheated the stuffing the same way I did above, and found it still flavorful and just soft enough within. Reheating brought back some moisture to the stuffing and a light crispiness to the top. By the third day, the stuffing was drier overall. Though reheating helped, it didn't restore its moisture.

The Verdict

Oven-dried bread holds its shape well, yielding a custardy stuffing with a crisp topping. It maintains its structure the day after it's made, making it a good stuffing option if you plan to make it the day before. It becomes significantly drier on the third day, which may be fine for leftovers, but not for serving at Thanksgiving dinner.

Stale Bread

For this test, I cut the sandwich bread into 3/4-inch cubes, then left it out on a wire rack at room temperature for five days to help it stale. This resulted in bread that was nicely dried and firm, retaining its shape as I mixed it into the stuffing—unlike the oven-dried bread, which began to crumble slightly. The stale bread absorbed the broth mixture easily without becoming overly soft, and when baked, the stuffing was tender and custardy. It remained nicely moist when reheated. Though it dried out slightly and wasn't quite as delicious on the second and third day, it was still good, and would be just fine for leftovers.

The Verdict

The dryness of the stale bread meant it absorbed liquid readily, producing a moist, flavorful stuffing that's delicious both on the day it's made and the day after. Of the three, stale bread held up best over three days.

The Takeaway

My tests made one thing clear: The drier the bread, the more it will retain its shape while also absorbing the flavors of the stuffing and all its components. Though oven-dried is a popular method—and the one recommended in plenty of Serious Eats recipes, including Kenji's stuffing and Daniel's French toast—properly stale bread produced the stuffing with the best flavor and texture. The bread's firmness meant it did not crumble as I mixed it with the other ingredients, nor did it become soggy as it baked. 

The one downside of staling: You have to plan ahead, and not everyone has time to let their bread sit out. Though it's worth taking the time to do it—it will save you precious oven space as you prepare for the big day—your best option is to oven-dry your bread if you're in a pinch and need dried bread for your stuffing as soon as possible. As Daniel notes in his French toast recipe, a perk of oven-dried bread is that you get all the benefits of dehydrated bread while preserving its fresh taste. Avoid using fresh bread, as it will result in an excessively soggy stuffing, which does not make for a happy Thanksgiving.