Loved throughout Newfoundland, this traditional baked dressing uses pure savoury to transform a bread stuffing into something extraordinarily tasty! The same preparation method is applied whether you bake or pan-fry the dressing, and even if you stuff it into your turkey!
675gramswhite bread(one large loaf white Wonder Bread is best)
1largewhite onion,peeled and finely diced
1tablespoonolive oil
1/2cupbutter,melted and cooled
2tablespoonssugar
2tablespoonsdried savoury
1teaspoonsalt
1/2teaspoonground black pepper
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a skillet, saute the onions with the olive oil until lightly browned. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Melt butter and set aside to cool.
Add two or three slices of bread to a food processor and pulse until bread is broken down into crumbs (about the size of rice).
Place all of the grated bread into a large bowl. Add the sugar, savoury, salt, and ground black pepper. Toss well to combine.
Add in the onions and pour in the melted butter. Use a spatula to toss until the butter and onions have been well incorporated into the bread mixture.
OVEN-BAKED INSTRUCTIONS:
Transfer to a baking dish. Bake for 90 minutes or until the bread has browned and has dried a little. It's important to mix the bread thoroughly every 20 minutes during the cooking time.
Remove from oven and serve immediately or allow to cool completely if serving as a cold side, or before freezing for later use.
STOVE-TOP INSTRUCTIONS:
Add the mixture to a large skillet and over medium heat, sauté the mixture until is has dried out and has browned. It’s important to stir often, because the bread at the bottom of the skillet can easily burn, especially if you added in the sugar!
Once browned, remove from heat and continue to stir often until the skillet has cooled own a bit. Serve immediately or allow to cool completely if serving as a cold side, or before freezing for later use.
STUFFING INSTRUCTIONS:
Gather up a large handful and firmly form it into a ball. Think about making a snowball – that’s what you’re doing here. Push the packed dressing into the turkey, filling the turkey tightly with as much dressing as you can fit it.
This dressing will stay in the turkey for the entire roasting time. It will not be dry, but more like steamed. Once you remove the turkey from the oven, loosely tent it with foil and allow it to rest for 20 minutes. Then, scoop out all of the dressing and place it in a serving bowl. Be sure to do this before you start to carve the turkey!
Notes
If you prefer, you can buy stuffing bread, but this recipe works best if you take the time to prepare the bread yourself.