There are tons of stuffing recipes out there—sausage stuffing, cornbread stuffing with chorizo, and Ree Drummond's Thanksgiving dressing that she's been making for years. But they all have one thing in common: dry bread! Unless you want your stuffing to be a soggy, mushy mess, then dry bread is the way to go. "The bread needs to be dry, dry, dry... dry," Ree explains. And there's no other way around it! But what's the best method for drying bread for stuffing? That depends on how much time you have! The air fryer has the fastest cook time, but any of the methods below will work.
When Ree makes her Thanksgiving dinner, she likes to get started early in the week with a few make-ahead preparations like baking a skillet cornbread a day or two in advance. Then, she cuts it into cubes and leaves out to become stale or dry. While it might seem counter-intuitive to make fresh cornbread only to let it get stale, trust Ree when she says, "It isn't soggy at all; even after baking, it remains light and crumbly and beautifully textural.”
Of course, if you're short on time, then waiting for your bread to become stale might not be the best option for you. Instead, you can use one of the other methods for drying bread quickly. Either let your oven do the work or grab your air fryer.
Dry Your Bread in the Oven
Though oven space is often limited on Thanksgiving Day, drying bread in the oven is one of the easiest methods for making stuffing. You can plan to do this step early in your cooking schedule by drying bread in the oven up to three days in advance. Simply cut the bread into 3/4-inch cubes and place them in an even layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes, giving them a stir every 10 minutes or so, until completely dry.
Dry Your Bread in the Air Fryer
Short on time? Try drying your bread in an air fryer instead! The convection heat will quickly dry any bread in a matter of minutes. Just cut the bread into ¾-inch cubes and place into the air fryer basket. Set to 300 degrees and cook, tossing frequently, for 5 to 10 minutes or until completely dry.
Dry Your Bread on the Counter
If you don't want to take up space in the oven, you can always leave the bread out on the counter to dry. A day or two before you assemble your stuffing, cut the bread into cubes. Then, lay the cubes onto sheet pans and let them dry out at room temperature for 24 to 48 hours.
The Best Bread for Stuffing
Pick a bread, any bread! The best part about stuffing is that there are so many types of bread based on your families preferences. You can use cornbread, Italian bread, French bread, white sandwich bread, challah, or even sourdough.
