Are you a card carrying member of the paleo police? Well then jackpot. I’m totally busted. The following recipe for gluten-free sourdough stuffing is not grain-free, and is made with actual bread. Gluten-free bread of course, I haven’t jumped the shark.
gluten-free sourdough stuffing
If you’ve been to this blog before, you probably know that I am mostly paleo. I’m not religious about it, and I’ve found a balance that works for me. I strongly believe that food should bring nourishment and joy. For me, one really can’t exist without the other.
So I woke up on Monday with a hankering to create a sourdough stuffing for this years’ Thanksgiving, just because. So I headed to the best little market in the sunset, Noriega Produce, and picked myself up a loaf of Bread SRSLY gluten-free sourdough. (If you’re not local, you can have this extremely legit San Francisco sourdough shipped to you).
Please note that I’m not suggesting that you purchase a loaf of highly processed gluten-free bread with 37 ingredients for this recipe. We’re still talking real food here, yes? Get the good stuff. It’s worth it!
If my other favorite stuffing wasn’t mostly pork, I might have added prosciutto to this one. But for the sake of balance, I thought it would be nice to have a meat-free option. It would be a lovely addition, though, if you’d like to add some to yours.
And yes; I know that technically if it’s not actually stuffed in the turkey, it’s called dressing. I really can’t explain why, but unless it’s going on a salad, that word just doesn’t feel right to me. No one ever says “My favorite dish at Thanksgiving is dressing”, even if their favorite thing is stuffing that’s cooked in a casserole dish instead of in a turkey. Right?!
gluten-free sourdough stuffing with cherries, pears & hazelnuts
makes one 9 x 13 inch pan1 loaf gluten-free sourdough bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes, about 8 cups
5 ounces hazelnuts
8 tablespoons butter, divided, plus more for greasing the pan
1 extra large onion (about 1 pound), small dice
8 ounces celery (about 1/2 bunch), small dice
2 pears (about 1 pound), small dice
8 ounces dried cherries
2 cups chicken or turkey broth
1 tablespoon fresh sage, minced
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, minced
1 teaspoon salt
- preheat oven to 350. Butter a large baking dish.
- Toast bread cubes for 10-15 minutes, until well toasted.
- Chop the hazelnuts by hand, or pulse them several times in a food processor to get them finely chopped. Toast in the oven for 5-7 minutes, or until fragrant. Set aside.
- In a large skillet, melt half of the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and celery to the pan and stir to mix with the butter. Add the salt after a few minutes, which will help bring the liquid out of the vegetables. You want them to sweat, not brown, so turn down the heat if they are cooking too fast, and stir it often. After 10-12 minutes, the vegetables should be pretty soft.
- Add the pears and cherries to the pan, and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring often.
- In a large bowl, mix together the bread, herbs, broth, hazelnuts, vegetables and fruit. Pour into the prepared baking dish.
- Dot the top with the remaining butter.
- Bake for 25 minutes covered, and then 35-40 uncovered.
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Andie says
This looks like a great recipe! I am enjoying following your blog and Twitter. I know you can’t please everyone, but I’m just not thrilled about the gluten free breads you’re showcasing. The ingredients are mainly hard core starches that are still rough on one’s system. And, this company uses guar gum (totally unnecessary), another huge irritant on the gut. I was really hoping for a link to something I could use. For now, I’ll stick to baking with einkorn flour or buying real sourdough, with very few ingredients, from a local bakery. Thanks for the recipe.
zenbellyblog says
Thanks Andie, I’m glad you’re enjoying the blog. Sorry you don’t like my choice of GF bread, but I’ve done plenty of research and feel good about making an informed decision about every food item I purchase. Bread SRSLY is made the right way, and with the exception of guar gum, is the cleanest GF bread on the market. And like Roo mentions above, they have a guar gum free option, too. I can’t eat any wheat, ever, but You’re welcome to make this recipe with whatever kind of bread you’d like!
Biocadence says
Ooooolala I will have to share this on biocadence! Nice!
Roo says
Thanks for the recipe, ZenBelly! Perfect timing – I get a delivery of BreadSRSLY next week.
Also – Andie (above) BreadSRSLY offers gum free bread, too, you just have to look further down their menu. Not for nothing, their bread is the best GF bread I’ve ever eaten.
pamela says
I eat grain-free, but most of my family does not, and they’re who I’m cooking for on Thanksgiving. I haven’t decided about stuffing yet, but I did place my first order with Bread SRSLY yesterday, most on your recommendation. I love the way you describe it.
Great post and fun recipe. Thanks
Mkay says
Seriously good bread from Bread SRSLY! Made this stuffing for Thanksgiving and it was a big hit. I have been missing stuffing for the past 5 years since going Paleo. I consider the bread a once in awhile treat and enjoyed every bite.
zenbellyblog says
Glad you loved it! 🙂
Viola says
Thank you for this amazing recipe! Made it yesterday and it was a huge hit.
Juan Carlo says
Great Recipe! I’m a big fan of GL-free bread and I must say that I really love all your recipes. I am following all your posts here on your blog and on twitter. Thanks for sharing all these awesome recipes. Xoxo
Anna says
Made this stuffing for Thanksgiving this year, and absolutely loved it! Recently read through your entire zenbelly cookbook, and I’ve gotta say I’m super excited about your make-ahead dinner party menu. We live in a tiny micro-condo in SF, but take advantage of our spacious roof deck to host large dinner parties (10-20 people) – it never occurred to me that I could make anything ahead of time! In that vein, do you think it would be possible to make this stuffing the day before? Perhaps cooking it covered, then putting it in the fridge, then cooking it uncovered the day of serving? Thank you again for so many wonderful, flavorful resources!
zenbellyblog says
I’m so glad to hear you loved it, thanks for the sweet words 🙂 And YES! When I cater events I make almost everything ahead of time, and just sear / assemble etc on the day of. I think the stuffing can definitely be made ahead of time; the way you suggest is what I’d recommend. I wrote a post about entertaining that might be helpful, too. Cheers!
Stacy Laughlin says
Thanks so much for sharing so many wonderful recipes, both in your books and online. In your experience, do the toasted bread cubes freeze well? Or would you recommend freezing the cut bread and toasting right before making the recipe?
zenbelly says
Thanks for the nice note, Stacy! I think for stuffing, freezing the toasted bread cubes is fine, if you’re looking to save more time the day you cook it.