Photo: Kerri Conan

BY Kerri Conan

PUBLISHED May 8, 2024

My mom Anna Rae taught me this method, which she learned from her mom Josephine Assunto, a Sicilian-American raised in New Orleans — where they used day-old po'boy loaves for stuffing. Everyone seems to be socking away leftover bread in the freezer for Thanksgiving. This soaking-and-squeezing technique is perfect for bringing any odds and ends back to life. Saturating dried bread in water, then squeezing out the excess, results in a totally different texture than when you combine dried or toasted crumbs or croutons with extra moisture like stock or dairy. You get a lightness akin to grain pilaf—not dry but also never mushy. Most important, you taste the flavor of bread. And with the good stuff, isn't that what you want?

You can use wet bread for any stuffing recipe; just eliminate (or at least drastically reduce) the other liquids. You can also use any bread in this recipe: cornbread, levain, whole grain, olive or raisin, and even seeded or nut breads. 

Below is a bare-bones formula, easy to adapt and augment, multiply or divide. The volume is about 3 quarts before baking; two-thirds of that is the bread. Figure you'll top out a standard 9- by 13-inch baking pan or dish. Or use whatever vessel or vessels you like, including skillets, souffle or gratin dishes, or rimmed baking sheets. The deeper the dish, the more the stuffing comes out like bread pudding—crisp around the borders with a custardy filling. For more crustiness, go for broader, shallower options. Bonus points if the stuffing can go from oven to table.

The recipe as written is vegetarian, with vegan options included. To add sausage or ham, start the meat first before adding the aromatics. For oyster stuffing, stir them in raw when you add the eggs. I'll warn you this is sage-y. If that's not your thing, use a little less or try thyme, oregano, or rosemary. I think that's it by way of chit-chat. Let's get squeezing.