Challah, Wild Mushroom & Herb Stuffing
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This stuffing crispy on top and loaded with an earthy, buttery mix of onions and vegetables.
There are as many versions of Thanksgiving stuffing as there are cooks who make it. The truth is, as long as you stick to the basic bread-to-liquid ratio, you can pretty much add any vegetables or seasonings that you like. This challah stuffing, modestly adapted from Mrs. Wheelbarrow on Food52, reminds me of the one my grandmother used to make. It’s golden and crispy on top and loaded with a flavorful and earthy mix of onions and wild mushrooms. A few tips: buy the “poultry blend” of fresh herbs if your supermarket carries it, as it contains all the herbs you’ll need, and buy your mushrooms pre-sliced to cut down on prep time.
What You’ll Need To Make Challah, Wild Mushroom & Herb Stuffing
Step-By-Step Instructions
Cut the challah into 1-inch cubes and spread onto a rimmed baking sheet.
Bake for about 25 minutes, or until dry and lightly toasted. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a large sauté pan. Cook the onions over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent.
Add the celery, herbs, mushrooms, salt and pepper.
Cook until celery is slightly softened, about 5 minutes more.
In a large bowl, combine bread cubes, onion/vegetable mixture, and chicken stock.
Toss well.
Transfer the stuffing to the prepared baking dish and cover with foil.
Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until golden, about 25 minutes more. Serve immediately.
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Challah, Wild Mushroom & Herb Stuffing
This stuffing crispy on top and loaded with an earthy, buttery mix of onions and vegetables.
Ingredients
- 1 large loaf challah (about 1 pound)
- 1 stick unsalted butter, plus more for buttering baking dishes
- 2 cups yellow onion, diced (from 2 medium onions)
- 2 cups celery, diced
- 2 cups wild mushrooms, diced
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary (or ¼ teaspoon dried and crumbled)
- ½ teaspoon finely chopped fresh sage (or ¼ teaspoon dried)
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 cups chicken broth
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Butter a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- Cut the challah into 1-inch cubes and spread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until dry and lightly toasted. Set aside.
- Increase the oven temperature to 350°F.
- Melt the butter in a large sauté pan. Cook the onions over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent. Add the celery, mushrooms, herbs, salt, and pepper and cook until celery is slightly softened, about 5 minutes more.
- In a large bowl, combine the toasted bread cubes, onion/vegetable mixture, and chicken broth and toss well.
- Transfer the stuffing to the prepared baking dish. Cover the dish with buttered foil and refrigerate until ready to bake (up to overnight).
- Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until golden, about 25 minutes more. Serve immediately.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: This dish can be prepared (but not baked) up to 1 day ahead of time. Cover the dish with buttered foil and refrigerate. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until golden, about 25 minutes more. Serve immediately.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: This dish can be frozen after baking, tightly covered, for up to 3 months. Defrost it in the refrigerator overnight then reheat it, covered with foil, in a 325°F oven until hot.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (10 servings)
- Calories: 259
- Fat: 13 g
- Saturated fat: 7 g
- Carbohydrates: 29 g
- Sugar: 4 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Sodium: 448 mg
- Cholesterol: 50 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Love, love, love your recipes! For this stuffing, would the flavor change a lot if I used vegetable broth instead of chicken broth?
Hi Angela, Chicken broth will always give you a richer flavor, but vegetable broth will definitely work. Hope that helps and happy Thanksgiving!
Hi! What kind of wild mushrooms should we get from the store? Shiitake? Chanterelle?
Hi Natasha, Both of those will work. I usually buy the blend of sliced wild mushrooms that’s available around the holidays.
Hi, I was wondering if I make your challah bread recipe will it be the correct size for the dressing? Also do you think the addition of dried cranberries will work?
Thanks so much!
Hi Elizabeth, the challah from the cookbook will make a loaf that’s almost twice the size of a store-bought one, so if you want to use it for the stuffing, I’d cut the recipe in half. And I do think you could add dried cranberries to this. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
If I were to leave the bread out to stale for a day or two, should I still run them through the oven for 25 minutes to bake or toast?
I think you could skip that step, Kevin. Hope you enjoy!
Can you make this two days in advance?
Sure, Robin. It reheats well.
Can I stuff a turkey with this recipe?
Hi Denise, that’s doable but you may want to reduce the broth by just a bit (maybe by 1 cup) if you prefer a dryer stuffing. (The inside of the turkey will add a lot of moisture to it.) Enjoy!
I made this again for an early Thanksgiving in London. Absolutely stunning.
One more question – Do you suggest chicken broth or chicken stock? I like the idea of stock so I can control the flavors more (since the stock is less seasoned), but I’m worried that since it is richer in texture it will make the stuffing too wet. Thoughts?
Hi Celi, Either is fine here so go ahead and use stock if you like. 🙂
Hi Jenn,
I’ve made Challah stuffing in the past (not your recipe) and I’ve found that the challah itself is such a rich, moist that it makes the stuffing soggy and wet. I always pre-bake the challah to dry it out in the oven so I’m not sure why this is happening. Before I try your recipe, any tips to avoid a soggy challah?
PS – The tops is usually crisp for me, but I cut into it the inside is mushy.
Hi Celi, It’s hard to say without seeing the recipe you’re using. You might give this stuffing a try; unlike most stuffing recipes, it doesn’t call for eggs, which means less moisture.
Hi, Jenn. I’m unable to find Challah bread where I live. Is there another kind of bread that’s similar that can be used as a substitute? I’m eager to try this recipe!
Hi Mary, Brioche would also work nicely here. Enjoy!
Hi Jenn,
This recipe sounds amazing and I want to try it for our meal this year. I want to add some crunch. Would it make sense to add toasted walnuts? How much would you recommend? and can I still prep and refrigerate the day ahead? Thank you!
Hi Kathy, Sure, I think you could get away with adding walnuts to this. I’d recommend 1/2 to 3/4 cups. And, yes you can still prep and refrigerate a day ahead of time. Hope you enjoy!