bread stuffing or dressing with variations

How To Make bread stuffing or dressing with variations

• Step 1
  Preheat oven to 325° F.
• Step 2
  Sauté onion and celery in butter until lightly browned. 
• Step 3
  Add water or stock and salt, pepper and poultry seasonings.  Cook until hot.
• Step 4
  Remove from heat and add bread.  
• Step 5
  Toss lightly until thoroughly mixed. 
• Step 6
  Avoid overmixing to prevent soggy, compacted dressing. 
• Step 7
  Stuffing should be moist but not wet. 
• Step 8
  Transfer to prepared pans. 
• Step 9
  Bake for 45-60 minutes or until heated through.  Do not overcook.  
• Step 10
  HINT:  Use 3 ounces of poultry base added to the 1 gallon of water.  Stock or soup base is a concentration of cooked meat, poultry, seafood or vegetables, plus cooking juices and seasonings.  It generally comes in a puree or paste-like form.  Most are highly salted.  Reduce or omit salt from the recipe when using the base.  Find this product in some supermarkets or in restaurant or catering supply stores.  
• Step 11
  VARIATIONS:
Sausage: Reduce amount of bread cubes by about 1 cup.  Add 2 pounds pork sausage, cooked and well-drained.   Apple:  Reduce amount of bread cubes by about 1 cup.  Add 1 pound tart apples, finely chopped, to the bread and liquid mixture Mushroom: Reduce celery and by about 1 cup each.  Sauté 2 pounds fresh mushrooms with the vegetables Chestnut:  Reduce amount of bread cubes by about 1/2 cup.  Add 1 pound cooked, chopped chestnuts.   Oyster:  Add 1½ pounds oysters to the bread and liquid mixture Fruit and Nut: Add 1 pound raisins or dried cranberries and 2 cups chopped pecans, walnuts or almonds to the bread and liquid mixture.  Lightly brown the nuts in 1 stick of butter before adding to stuffing.
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