Search
Login
Foodies Only in your inbox
By clicking "Subscribe", you agree to ourPrivacy Policy and to receive marketing emails from Foodies Only
ITC Portal
Copyright © 2025 Foodies Only
Copyright © 2025 Foodies Only
5 min
23/12/2025
Some actors may have discovered their comeback with OTT, but your kitchen superstars have been doing it for a long time. Especially bread. Toast it, fry it, or crumble it; it works every time. And even stale bread can become a flavourful stuffing with just the right ingredients and technique. So read ahead, get together the right ingredients, and get cooking stuffing to remember!
For a great dish, what’s on the outside is as important as what’s on the inside. Crispy roast with a stuffing—-traditionally made from a seasoned mixture of bread, aromatics, herbs, fat, and stock—-is the kind of dish that guests will talk about long after the meal is over. But while traditional stuffing can be time-consuming and ingredient-heavy, there are helpful hacks to consider. And for the ultimate shortcut stuffing, all you need is stale bread! Read ahead to know more.
Stuffing, commonly used to fill poultry or served alongside as a baked dish, completes just about any meal. It is savoury and moist, and absorbs flavours from herbs, fat, and pan juices, making it a rich, comforting side.
Stuffing is usually made from dried bread cubes mixed with sautéed onions, celery, butter, herbs (like sage, thyme, parsley), broth, and eggs for binding (in some cases). The mix is baked until golden. However, this can be an incredibly time-consuming process because of the time taken to dry the bread. While cutting the bread takes only 15 minutes, it can take anywhere between 12 and 24 hrs to air dry. Even in an oven, it takes at least 25 mins to dry, if not longer. To it, add the time for prepping and cooking veggies, making the mix, and of course, baking it, and it can turn out to be a taxing process – especially when there are other dishes to prepare.
And thus exists shortcut stuffing, made from using stale bread and broth. Shortcut stuffing cuts down prep significantly by eliminating fresh bread drying, homemade stock, and long sautéing steps—often reducing hours of prep to under 30–40 minutes, while still delivering the familiar texture and flavour.
You can follow this easy and fast recipe to make shortcut stuffing. The key is to moisten the stale bread with flavour-infused broth and sautéed aromatics.
This recipe is fast because the main ingredients (stale bread and broth) are ready to use with minimal preparation. The only cooking required before combining is softening the vegetables.
Ingredients:
Stale bread cubes: 6 cups
Butter: 4 tbsp
Large onion, chopped: ½
Celery stalks, chopped: 2
Garlic clove, minced: 1
Chicken or vegetable broth: 2 cups
Meat seasoning: ½ tsp
Salt and pepper: to taste
Instructions:
Cut your stale bread (ensure it’s fully dry) into roughly 1-inch cubes. Now, sauté your vegetables. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat, add the onion, celery and garlic and cook for 5-10 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft and translucent.
If using any herbs (like sage or thyme), stir them in after removing the skillet from the heat, along with salt and pepper. The residual heat will help release the herbs' fragrance.
Place the dried bread cubes in a large mixing bowl. Pour the vegetable mixture over the bread and toss gently to combine. Now, add the broth, gradually, until the bread is moistened but not soggy. This is important because shortcut stuffing absorbs liquid faster, and over-wetting early can’t be undone later. The mixture should hold together if you squeeze a handful.
Transfer the mixture to a greased baking dish. Cover with foil and bake at 175°C for 20-30 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 10-15 minutes until the top is golden brown. Let it rest for a few minutes before serving warm.
Here are some practical tips to keep in mind when preparing shortcut stuffing. This ensures you don’t compromise on taste or texture, even when cooking with stale bread.
Salt alone won’t compensate for shortened prep. Acidity (a splash of lemon or apple cider vinegar) sharpens flavour and prevents a dull finish.
Lightly toasting stale bread. It creates micro-dry pockets that hold seasoning and broth better during baking.
Let it rest before serving. A 5–10 minute rest allows starches to settle and flavours to redistribute, preventing a wet centre and bland edges.
Taste for seasoning twice. Taste once before baking and once after. Starches mute salt as they absorb liquid, so a final adjustment is often necessary.
Any good cook will tell you that perfecting meals isn’t just about getting the ingredients, prep, and technique right. It’s also about knowing the best hacks and understanding when to use one. And this shortcut stuffing hack always comes in handy during busy festive seasons. So let your meat roast and potatoes mash, and get your bread on!
Stuffing was originally a thrift dish, designed to stretch small amounts of meat and fat into a filling, satisfying meal.
Slightly stale bread absorbs flavour better than fresh bread, which can turn pasty instead of fluffy.
Fat—not stock—is the primary carrier of stuffing’s flavour; butter or poultry fat matters more than extra liquid.
