Stuffing is one of the best parts of Thanksgiving and this easy dry bread for stuffing and other recipes helps you make homemade stuffing even better!
We're showing you how all the tips and tricks for drying out bread cubes when you have extra time or for drying bread in the oven when you need stale bread quickly. Either way, it's a WHOLE LOTTA YUM!
✅ Get our FREE healthy meal prep printables + meal plan! 🥑
Drying Out Bread for Stuffing
Holiday stuffing can contain any number of tasty ingredients, some keep it basic, and others opt to add a variety of extras like fruits, nuts, herbs, or meats.
In our house, we love loaded homemade stuffing with big, fat bread cubes you just can't get with store-bought Stove Top stuffing. Easy and fresh dry bread cut from a loaf is key to making the best stuffing recipe ever!
Our favorite stuffing recipe is this sausage apple stuffing, the recipe has been used for decades and passed down from grandma! So many guests have said it's honestly the best stuffing recipe they've ever had!
You can also dry out bread crumbs for stuffing with either gluten-free or keto bread and try out our keto stuffing recipe if you have guests that can't eat regular bread.
Why You'll Love Dried Bread Cubes!
- You can control the size of the bread cubes whether you're making perfect cubes or rustic tears.
- It's so easy drying out bread for stuffing! You'll never buy a boxed stuffing mix again.
- When making your own dry bread for stuffing, you have the option to make it using gluten free bread, keto bread, or honestly any type of bread you love!
- This is a perfect way to use up leftover stale bread or for making your Thanksgiving stuffing or for French toast casserole, bread pudding, Panzella salad, or croutons.
- You can customize the bread cube seasonings depending on how you're using them. A touch of olive oil and Italian seasonings make them the perfect snack or crouton!
Why not save a variety of stale bread in your freezer to have a mix of cubes for your next dressing recipe? This is the best way to have delicious home dried bread the next time you need them in a hurry!
Ingredient Notes
Making your own bread stuffing really couldn't be easier, all it takes is some bread and perhaps your oven (if you need them fast!)
We don't usually season the bread cubes for drying bread in the oven since it most often is going in a recipe that adds seasoning. You of course can add a touch of seasoning if you're making these for croutons like olive oil, garlic powder, and your favorite dried seasonings.
- Bread Cubes- How much you'll need for your stuffing recipe depends on the recipe quantity. A 9x9 pan of stuffing uses about a ½ loaf of bread (4 cups of dried breading) and a 9x13 pan would use a full 1 lb large loaf of bread (or 8+ cups of dried bread).
- Seasoning- If you are making croutons or simply want your dried bread cubes pre-seasoned, you can toss the bread in olive oil and desired seasoning before baking. Or you can use the plain dried bread in a stuffing, seasoning when you prepare the stuffing.
What are the best breads for stuffing?
We used a basic white bread for demonstrating how to dry out bread for stuffing, but seriously, any will work! We actually love to save a variety of bread in the freezer to make stuffing, or you can keep it simple and just use one kind.
Avoid using super soft breads like Wonder Bread, you want a hearty and firm bread for making your own bread cubes.
- White Bread: White bread has a neutral flavor that pairs well with any seasonings.
- Sourdough Bread: Adds a tangy twist.
- Cornbread: A popular choice in Southern cooking, cornbread gives a sweet and crumbly texture that works wonderfully in stuffing.
- Whole Wheat Bread: If you're looking for a healthier option, whole wheat bread would give you a rich, nutty flavor.
- Rye Bread: Great for adding a slightly earthy and savory taste to your stuffing, rye bread pairs particularly well with pork or sausage stuffing.
- Brioche or Croissants: Adds a richer, buttery flavor.
- Baguette: Stale pieces of a French baguette add a touch of rustic chewiness.
- Gluten-Free Bread or keto bread: For those with dietary restrictions, there are tons of alternative bread on the market these days that are perfect for making your own stuffing.
Equipment
Baking sheet- We used a half-size baking sheet with a rim, any type of large pan or dish will work.
How to Dry Out Bread Cubes for Stuffing
We're teaching you drying out bread for stuffing on the counter and drying bread in the oven when you need it quickly.
You can use any type of bread for this recipe other than the super soft white bread. If you have presliced bread, you'll want to make sure the slices are at least ½" thick in size for making homemade stuffing.
Step 1: Use a serrated knife to cut your bread of choice into ½-inch cubes. You can cut them even larger if preferred, you'll need to add a bit longer to the baking time to get them crispy throughout.
Or for a rustic twist, you can tear the bread by hand into small bite-size pieces.
Step 2: Evenly spread the bread cubes out on a baking sheet and cover it with a thin clean kitchen towel.
Step 3: Let the bread chunks dry out at room temperature for 2-3 days.
Once your bread is all baked and ready to go, you can follow your stuffing recipe. We recommend our sausage, apple and sage stuffing which pairs perfectly with these dried bread cubes.
Drying Bread in the Oven
Step 1: Use a serrated knife to cut your bread of choice into ½-inch cubes. You can cut them even larger if preferred, you'll need to add a bit longer to the baking time to get them crispy throughout.
Step 2: Evenly spread your bread cubes out on a baking sheet. Next cook, the bread cubes at 250 degrees for 30+ minutes until each bread cube turns dried out and crispy.
Step 3: Let the oven dried bread cubes cool to room temperature. Use them in your favorite stuffing recipe for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or really any time of year and for a variety of recipes!
Recipe Tips
- If you're using pre-sliced bread, make sure the slices are at least ½" thick.
- Don't worry about seasoning your bread. You will season it later when you make stuffing.
- Make sure your bread is not too crowded on the baking sheet. This will make sure it has enough space to toast properly and makes for the best dried bread cubes.
- Store leftover stale bread in a freezer safe container or bag and collect a variety of bread types.
- If you want a larger bread cube, cut them up to 1" in size. They will take longer to dry out if you use larger cubes or use dense heavy bread.
What to do with Dried Bread Cubes
While drying out bread for stuffing is one of the most common ways to use dried bread cubes, when you have leftover bread or bread that's starting to get stale, why not try one of these ideas too?
- Croutons: Toss with olive oil and seasoning, then bake to create croutons for salads or soups.
- Bread Pudding: Use as the base for a sweet or savory bread pudding
- Casserole Topping: Sprinkle on top of casseroles for a crunchy, golden-brown finish.
- Meatloaf or Meatballs: Crush the homemade dried bread cubes and mix them with ground meat and other ingredients as a binder for meatloaf or meatballs.
- Breakfast Casserole: Layer with eggs, cheese, and breakfast meats for a holiday breakfast casserole.
- Panzella Salad: Combine stale bread cubes with tomatoes, onions, fresh herbs, and cucumbers and toss with an olive oil herb dressing.
- Serve with Fondue: Serve alongside melted cheese or chocolate fondue as a dipper.
- Feeding Birds: If nothing else, dry bread cubes can be tossed to ducks or birds in your yard!
FAQ's for Drying Bread
Drying the bread removes excess moisture, allowing it to better absorb the flavors from herbs, spices, and broth. Drying or toasting bread for stuffing helps in creating a stuffing with the best possible texture, neither too mushy nor too dry.
This bread stuffing can sit covered on your counter for 3-4 days. Toast it in advance of your holiday meal to reduce steps when you're preparing a large meal.
Yes, dried bread cubes can be frozen in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature before using them in your recipe.
More Holiday Recipes
- Sausage apple sage stuffing
- Pureed butternut squash
- Cauliflower mashed potatoes
- Roast half turkey breast
✅ Get our FREE healthy meal prep printables + meal plan! 🥑
Be sure to join our healthy recipes email list to get lots of meal prep ideas, plus free meal planning printables. We're here to make meal time simple!
📖 Recipe
Dried Bread Cubes
Ingredients
- 1 loaf of bread white or wheat
Instructions
Dried Bread Cubes
- Use a serrated knife to cut your bread of choice into ½"-1" cubes. Or for a rustic twist, you can tear the bread by hand into small bite-size pieces.
- Evenly spread the bread cubes out on a baking sheet and cover it with a thin clean kitchen towel. Let the bread chunks dry out at room temperature for 2-3 days.
Drying Bread in Oven
- Preheat the oven to 250 F. Cut the loaf of bread into ½"-1" cubes.
- Spread the bread cubes on a large rimmed baking sheet (the recipe used 13"x18").
- Bake the bread cubes for 30-40+ minutes until they're totally dried out and crisp for ½" cubes. If you're using bread cubes up to 1" in size they'll take even longer to dry out, but stir them every 30 minutes.
- Remove them from the oven and set them aside to cool.
- Use them in your favorite stuffing recipe, for croutons, bread pudding, and more! The dried bread cubes can be made 3-4 days in advance before using them in a recipe.
Notes
- We used a pre-sliced sandwich loaf for recipe testing. If you're cubing a heavy dense bread they could take longer than 30 minutes to dry out in the oven at 250 F.
- a ½" cube was used for making stuffing, if you're making French toast casserole, bread pudding, or Panzella salad you might prefer a 1" cube.
- How many dry bread cubes you'll need for your stuffing recipe depends on the recipe quantity. A 9x9 pan of stuffing uses about a ½ loaf of bread (4 cups of dried breading) and a 9x13 pan would use a full large loaf of bread (or 8 cups of dried bread).
- To season the bread cubes before baking, toss them in a bowl with olive oil and your seasoning of choice like Italian seasoning before baking. They'd be terrific in salads too!
- Drying out the bread for stuffing works for white bread, wheat bread, French, Challah, rye, keto bread, and gluten-free bread.
Leave a Reply