American
Southern Cornbread Dressing
Crumbled unsweetened cornbread and toasted white bread bake with celery, onion, sage, eggs, and chicken stock into a savory Southern dressing with crisp edges.
16 servings · 40 minutes prep · 125 minutes cook
Ingredients
Savory Cornbread
- 2 cups stone-ground yellow cornmeal
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt, divided, plus more as needed
- 2 cups cultured buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and divided
Dressing
- 8 ounces day-old white sandwich bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 2 medium yellow onions, cut into 1/4-inch dice
- 5 celery ribs, cut into 1/4-inch dice
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped sage leaves
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 5 cups low-sodium chicken stock, divided, warmed
- 4 large eggs, beaten
Directions
Dry the White Bread
- Heat the oven to 275°F / 135°C. Spread the white-bread cubes over two rimmed baking sheets and bake for 25 to 35 minutes, stirring twice, until dry through but barely colored. Cool for 10 minutes.
Bake and Cool the Cornbread
- Heat the oven to 425°F / 220°C with the cast-iron skillet inside. Whisk the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and two-thirds of the salt. Whisk the buttermilk, eggs, and 3 tablespoons of the melted butter; fold wet into dry just until combined.
- Coat the hot skillet with remaining melted butter, add batter, and bake 20 to 24 minutes until browned and set. Cool completely for at least 45 minutes, or cool and hold overnight, then crumble into irregular 1-inch pieces. Reduce oven to 375°F / 190°C.
Cook the Aromatics
- Combine the cornbread crumbs and dried white bread in a large bowl. Melt 6 tablespoons of the butter in a skillet; add the onions, celery, and remaining salt. Cook 10 to 12 minutes until tender.
- Stir in the sage, thyme, and black pepper for 1 minute; fold everything into the breads. Taste the bread-and-aromatic mixture and the warm stock separately; add more salt to the bread mixture only if needed, accounting for the stock salinity.
Moisten Generously
- Whisk 4 1/2 cups of the stock with the eggs. Fold into the crumbs and rest 10 minutes. The mixture should be very moist and spoonable but not soupy; add remaining stock if firm or dry.
Bake Until Set
- Butter two 3-quart 9-by-13-inch baking dishes with the remaining butter. Divide the dressing evenly between them without compacting it, keeping the mixture below the rims. Cover both dishes with foil and bake 35 minutes. Swap rack positions and rotate the dishes front to back, then uncover and bake 20 to 30 minutes more, until the center of each dish reaches 165°F / 74°C and the edges are deeply golden. Rest 15 minutes.
Cool, Store, and Reheat
- Divide leftovers into shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours. Use within 3 to 4 days or freeze, and reheat the center to 165°F (74°C).
