Y’all, this sourdough bread dressing is the Southern side dish your Thanksgiving table’s been waitin’ for! We’re taking cubes of day-old stale sourdough bread and tossing them with Granny Smith apples, pecans, and a handful of simple spices that bring all the flavor. Add in a mix of eggs, chicken broth, onions, and celery to bind it all together, and let it bake at 350°F for a good 45-50 minutes until it’s golden on top and soft in the center. This dressing is cozy, crunchy, and just right for those holiday gatherings! Yields enough for 12.
My Love for Sourdough and Thanksgiving Dressing
Baked Southern-style cornbread and biscuit dressing has been a fan favorite of FSS readers for years - and for good reason! I love it too. Honestly, what carby holiday side do we not all love?!
After I started making my own sourdough bread in the past couple of years, I have been experimenting with all kinds of recipes that use it. Like sourdough breakfast casserole with apples and sausage or make-ahead sourdough french toast casserole. And while this is not and will never be a sourdough blog - it's been fun to have a cooking hobby just for me!
So I took a loaf that didn't turn out so great recently (whomp whomp) that still was going to taste good but just kinda sad looking and transformed it into a stuffing!
I sliced it into thick slices and let it dry out and get stale overnight - this is the key to good dressing! Then tossed it with granny smith apples and crunchy pecans with the base of my mom's southern dressing recipe and it was delicious!
So if you want to switch your dressing up a bit this year or are just looking for another use for your sourdough bread then look no further. Let me show you how I did it!
Welcome to my kitchen, let's cook!
The day before - let your bread get stale! DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP! It's crucial to the recipe. This can be done days before and then the stale bread can be kept in a zip-top bag, but it needs to be done at least 24 hours before baking.
Then start the assembly of the recipe.
🍏 Why use Granny Smith apples? 🍏 99% of the time if I am baking or cooking any kind of apple recipe, I am using granny smith apples. Why? Well for one that's what my mom uses and she taught me to cook. But also she taught me that they hold up when baking. They do not become mush or disintegrate into whatever dish you're making but hold their shape, and taste, and their distinct tart flavor stands out and compliments what it is paired with.
After doing several recipe tests, I found just quartering, cutting out the core, and dicing the apples was the most simple and best way to use the apples. I peeled them once to see how it would be compared to not peeled and in IMO it's not worth the extra time and effort. While you're at it - just buy the chopped pecans to save yourself that time as well!
Recipe
Baked Sourdough Dressing with Pecans and Apples
- Total Time: 25 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
Description
Y’all, this sourdough bread dressing is the Southern side dish your Thanksgiving table’s been waitin’ for! We’re taking cubes of day-old stale sourdough bread and tossing them with Granny Smith apples, pecans, and a handful of simple spices that bring all the flavor. Add in a mix of eggs, chicken broth, onions, and celery to bind it all together, and let it bake at 350°F for a good 45-50 minutes until it’s golden on top and soft in the center. This dressing is cozy, crunchy, and just right for those holiday gatherings! Yields enough for 12.
Ingredients
- 4 Cups Chicken Broth
- 1 Cup Onion - diced
- 2 Cups Celery - diced
- 1 Stick Butter
- 9 Cups/1 Large Loaf of Sourdough Bread
- 2 Teaspoons Pepper
- 2 Teaspoons Sage
- 1 ½ Teaspoons Salt
- ½ Teaspoon Thyme
- ¼ Teaspoon White Pepper
- 3 Eggs - whisked
- 3 Cups Granny Smith Apples - cored and cubed
- 1 Cup Pecans - chopped
Instructions
Before starting this recipe: Slice your loaf of sourdough and lay it out on a baking sheet or cutting board. Leave out in the open to dry out and become stale for at least 24 hours before. Do not skip this step - it is crucial to the recipe's success!
- Combine chicken broth, onions, celery, and butter. Cook on top of the stove on medium heat until the veggies become soft - for about 20 minutes. Remove and let cool.
- While the veggies are cooking, tear the slices of sourdough into smaller bite-size chunks. Add to a large bowl with the spices. Toss slightly.
- To the bowl add the whisked eggs and broth mix. Stir together until the bread has evenly soaked up the liquid.
- Pour in a greased 13x9" baking dish. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes or until just set but not hard.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- 24 hours:
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Sides
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 scoop
- Calories: 385
- Sugar: 7.7 g
- Sodium: 1087.7 mg
- Fat: 17.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 46.8 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 11.6 g
- Cholesterol: 68.4 mg
