Still savoring your Turkey Day leftovers? I just polished off the last of the classic brioche stuffing – my contribution to our family meal – and was sad to see it go. In fact, I’m contemplating whipping up a second batch pronto.
One taste of classic brioche stuffing and you’ll have no qualms about serving it on a day other than Thanksgiving. Use good bread and you can’t go wrong.
If you have time and like to bake, make a loaf. I followed The Kitchn’s detailed instructions and the brioche turned out beautifully. (Half the recipe yields the perfect amount for this stuffing recipe.)
Next, toast the brioche. Skip the step and your creation will be soggy.
Then, simply sauté some veggies and fold in the brioche croutons, broth and eggs. Dump the mélange in a baking dish and pop it in the oven. In less than two hours, the classic brioche stuffing will be done and you can dig in straightaway.
And here’s a tip: The side reheats easily in the microwave and is equally, if not more, scrumptious the following morning. So save the uneaten portion.
Recipe adapted from Bon Appétit.
- 10 cups cubed brioche
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 2 cups diced yellow onion
- 1½ cups diced celery
- 1 cup peeled and diced carrots
- 1 small leek (white and light green parts only), halved lengthwise, thinly sliced and rinsed
- 3 garlic cloves, smashed
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 cups chicken broth, divided (see notes)
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Spread brioche cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour or until golden brown and crispy, stirring halfway through. Remove from the oven and let brioche cool completely. Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees.
- In a large pot, melt 6 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add onion, celery, carrots, leek and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 10 minutes. Add parsley, sage, thyme, salt and pepper and stir to combine.
- Add toasted brioche cubes and 1½ cups broth and stir gently to combine.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together remaining 1½ cups broth and eggs. Add to pot with brioche and stir gently to combine.
- Transfer mixture to a greased 9"x13" baking dish. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter and drizzle over mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake uncovered for 40 more minutes or until the top is golden brown.
What temperature do you bake the final stuffing product? Is it 250 degrees?
Hi Kerri – Bake it at 350 degrees. Sorry for the missing info.!
Can you make the brioche croutons the day before?
Absolutely! Good luck with the cooking, Rachel!
My daughter doesn’t like carrots. Would it be OK to leave them out? Would I need to replace that 1 cup of carrots with something?
Hi Abbie – I’d substitute equal parts of onion and celery. Enjoy!
Delicious! We made this yummy Brioche Stuffing for a Friendsgiving luncheon. It’s a great balance of traditional flavors. There were 9 ladies – I brought home an empty baking dish! I DID use the carrots after all – they lend a pop of color. We made it the night before and had to reheat. I took pan out of frig an hour before, drizzled 1/4 cup of broth around the edges covered and reheated in 325 oven for about 30 min, removed foil and brushed with a tbsp of melted butter.. then returned to a 350 oven to crisp up for 15 minutes. If we need to make in advance next time I would just do the first 40 minute bake to set the custard. Then cool and refrigerate. I would do the final 40 min bake before serving to crisp the top – Probably wouldn’t need the extra broth ot butter. The only thing we did different from the recipe was add another teaspoon of salt and a half teaspoon of pepper – the broth we used was low sodium. We will definitely make this again and we passed a link to your recipe to a few of the ladies. Thanks.
I’m so glad to hear the stuffing was a hit, Abbie – even with the carrots! And these make-ahead tips are so helpful. Thanks for the feedback and sharing the recipe with friends. Happy Thanksgiving!
Loved this dressing recipe! The flavors were delicious, especially the leeks and herbs. I followed the recipe exactly (and doubled it). The only edit I’d make is to have slightly less liquid since the middle was a little custard-y no matter how long I kept it in the oven. Also, doubling it made it too full to mix in the pot so I mixed it in my baking dishes which worked out fine. It is a lot of dicing, so leave time for that part but the flavors are worth it!
Thanks for this! Thanksgiving success!
I’m so happy to hear that the dish was a hit, Christy! And I love that you doubled the quantity. Leftover stuffing is the best!
Is it possible to bake in a Dutch oven?
Hi Ann – I think it would work … and you can use the lid instead of foil to cover the stuffing in Step 5.
Hi! Recipe calls for 3 cups broth but says whisk remaining 1 1/2 cups broth. Where is the other 1 1/2 c broth used? Says see notes but only mentions clam broth. Help! Making this right now. lol 🎄🎅🏻✨🤷🏻♀️
Hi Jennifer – Half of the broth is used in Step 3 and the remaining half is used in Step 4. Hope you figured it out … sorry for the delay in responding!
I love stuffing the bird … Possible with this? It sounds delicious.
I don’t see why not! You’ll just miss out on the crispy, golden crust.
Can you make the stuffing ahead of time and keep in fridge a day or two before baking it (with the eggs in it?)
Hi Dee – The stuffing can be baked (before browning) a day ahead; then uncover, let cool, cover and chill. When ready to serve, uncover and bake until the top is golden brown, 45-60 minutes.