Southern Cornbread Dressing – Dessert for Two

Should you want only one new recipe this Thanksgiving, my Southern Cornbread Dressing is it. That is the one dressing recipe my household has ever made!

This Cornbread Dressing is the perfect of the perfect

That is the perfect recipe I acquired; it is all right here, people. I could prove the lights on this weblog after sharing this.

My Southern Corn Bread Dressing was saved for years to place in my second cookbook as a result of I knew it could be a game-changer.  Additionally, you will discover a ‘Thanksgiving for Two’ feast within the ebook, and this cornbread dressing is in it, albeit in a small pan for 2. Right here, I doubled it to serve 4-6 for our small Thanksgiving sequence we have got happening.

When serving, use the rectangular pan within the images, or an 8×8 baking dish. The pan I simply linked you to has a lid, so for those who’re doing a potluck Thanksgiving, it is good for you!

If you’re in search of Thanksgiving recipes, now we have a whole part dedicated to it.  Plus a Thanksgiving for Two sequence, and a set of Thanksgiving Recipes Sides so that you can get pleasure from.

Like all good issues, this recipe is first my Mama’s. She says she clipped it from a Southern Residing journal many years in the past, and fairly frankly, it is the one sort of dressing or stuffing I’ve ever tasted in my life. I needn’t strive another dressings; that is nearly as good because it will get.

Our cornbread dressing is the explanation individuals drive for hours throughout Texas to descend on my dad and mom’ home for Turkey Day. When you style it, you’ll beg for an invitation.

To make in a 9×13-inch pan:

First issues first: sure, you’ll be able to double this recipe! I double it and bake it in a 9×13-inch pan for my household. I reduce it in half for the images above, however right here is a photograph of it in a bigger pan.

For this model, I did the next:

• I doubled the cornbread recipe to be 2 cups of cornmeal, 1 ⅓ cups of flour, 4 tablespoons sugar, 3 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 4 giant eggs, 2 cups buttermilk, and 6 tablespoons of melted butter. I baked this cornbread for 20 minutes (or till achieved) in the very same 9×13-inch pan I bake the dressing in. One much less pan to clean, hooray!
• As soon as the cornbread was achieved, I let it cool after which crumbled it into a big bowl. I cubed the bread slices, and blended that in together with the spices and salt. This combination sat out in a single day on the counter to go barely stale. Making your cornbread and bread stale helps it take in extra liquid the following day once you bake.
• I doubled the dressing recipe to be: the cornbread recipe above, 8 slices of white bread, 3 teaspoons of salt (sure, actually), 3 teaspoons of dried rubbed sage leaves, 4 teaspoons of poultry seasoning, 1 ⅓ cup diced onion, 1 ⅓ cup sliced celery, 1 ⅓ cup water, 12 tablespoons of butter, 3 cups of rooster broth, 4 giant eggs, and 1 cup of milk. Then, baked it for 22-25 minutes, in the identical pan I baked the cornbread in.

What’s cornbread dressing?

Cornbread dressing is identical factor as common ‘stuffing,’ however made with cornbread and white bread. Sometimes ‘stuffing’ is simply made with white bread. And technically, it’s ‘stuffing’ if its contained in the turkey and ‘dressing’ if its baked individually on the facet. Stale cornbread crumbles and off bread cubes are tossed along with your favourite Thanksgiving spices (sage, parsley, thyme, marjoram, and rosemary), after which baked in a custard of milk and eggs studded with chopped onions and celery. It’s like a savory bread pudding, in one of the best ways potential.

Substances for this Cornbread Dressing Recipe

For the cornbread:

• Cornmeal. We’re making a batch of cornbread that we’ll then crumble and use for the cornbread dressing, and it begins with cornmeal. You should use finely floor or stone floor cornmeal, and it may be yellow, white and even blue cornmeal.
• Flour. A small quantity of flour reduce into the cornmeal makes the cornbread fluffy.
• Sugar. My cornbread recipe has a really small quantity of sugar in it.
• Baking Powder. One and a half teaspoons of baking powder, for rising.
• Baking Soda. A really small quantity (¼ teaspoon) of baking soda for rising.
• Salt. I wish to prepare dinner with nice sea salt.
• Eggs. Two giant eggs, at room temperature.
• Buttermilk. One cup of buttermilk makes the perfect cornbread. You may substitute the identical quantity of milk that you could have added one teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice to, for those who don’t have buttermilk.
• Butter. Melted butter is the important thing for the perfect cornbread!

For the dressing:

• Sliced White Bread. The opposite bulk of our cornbread dressing is sliced white bread. We’ll dice it earlier than letting it go stale on the counter.
• Rubbed Sage. Rubbed sage is dry sage leaves which were crushed/ crumbled. If you wish to use contemporary sage, finely minced the leaves till you may have 1 tablespoon.
• Poultry Seasoning. That is the principle flavoring element, so I feel it’s necessary to purchase a pleasant one. I like when you’ll be able to see the person herb flecks as an alternative of a powdery model. Poultry seasoning incorporates sage, thyme, marjoram, and rosemary.
• Celery. Celery is the quintessential Thanksgiving vegetable, and this dressing requires ⅔ cup of finely chopped celery. That is bizarre, however my Grasp’s Diploma is in celery manufacturing, and farmers in California and Arizona rush to get their celery crop within the floor on the finish of summer time in order that they’re assured their ‘Thanksgiving harvest.’ Additionally, completely nothing smells higher than driving by a area of celery being reduce for harvest.
• Onion. An equal quantity of chopped onion to celery: ⅔ cup.
• Butter. Six tablespoons of melted butter for the custard-like base right here.
• Rooster Inventory. You should use 1 ½ cups of store-bought rooster inventory, or you should utilize leftover turkey inventory.
• Eggs. Two giant eggs, crushed earlier than being added to the bowl.
• Milk. I favor entire milk for baking.

Methods to make Dressing

The recipe first begins with a batch of cornbread. Use a packaged combine as my Mama does, or you should utilize my small batch of cornbread, doubled. I baked it in 12 muffin cups, however you may additionally do an 8×8″ pan.

1. First, mix the dry elements: flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 

2. Subsequent, stir within the buttermilk and egg. (Should you want a recipe to make use of the additional buttermilk: small batch biscuits).

3. Lastly, add the butter. See all of the bubbles beginning to kind within the batter? That is as a result of buttermilk is magic.

4. Divide the combination into 12 muffin cups, or use an 8×8″ pan.

5. Now take all of the pretties and crumble them up–some giant chunks are nice.

6. Subsequent, dice 4 slices of white bread. That is actually the one time I ever purchase white bread.

7. To the crumbled cornbread and bread cubes, add the spices and salt. It is presupposed to be 1 ½ teaspoons of rubbed sage and a pair of teaspoons of poultry seasoning, however I am clearly including a whole tablespoon. You simply cannot over-spice it. Additionally, do not skimp on the salt: 1 ½ teaspoons is ideal.

So, that is the half that’s ideally achieved the day earlier than. My Mama leaves her bread and spice combination out in a single day on the counter to go stale. Should you did not plan forward, dry it within the oven to 10 minutes whereas the oven preheats.

The subsequent day (for those who left your bread and spices on the counter in a single day):

8. Now, this subsequent step is a bit bizarre however stick with me. We have come this far. You are going to saute ⅔ cup of onions and celery in 6 tablespoons of butter plus ⅔ cup of water. I do know it is bizarre to saute in water, however belief me on this Southern Cornbread Dressing quest. Saute for about 5 minutes to melt the veggies.

9. Pour this golden combination over the bread. (My butter is so golden yellow as a result of I take advantage of Kerrygold!)

10. Subsequent, add 1 ½ cups rooster broth or turkey broth.

11. Then, add ½ cup of milk.

12. And two crushed eggs. I suppose you may beat the eggs into the milk and add them, however you then’d miss out on one other blurry photograph opp.

13. If you stir all of it collectively, it is going to be very moist. Don’t be concerned your fairly little head over this.

14. Scrape all of it right into a dish. I used this rectangular one, but it surely’s equal to an 8×8″ sq. pan. Excellent dressing for 4-6 individuals! Do not smoosh and flatten the dressing. The craggy prime develops an excellent crust.

What temp to prepare dinner cornbread dressing? How lengthy to prepare dinner dressing?

15. Bake at 400-degrees for 20 minutes. Style. Inform me it is the one Thanksgiving dressing recipe you may ever want in life. Amen.

How far forward are you able to make Dressing for Thanksgiving?

We have now experimented with this closely in my household, as a result of all of us agree that, in virtually all circumstances, ‘leftover Thanksgiving meals’ is best than (or just-as-good-as Thanksgiving meals. We have now discovered that cornbread dressing tastes finest re-heated the following day, so technically, you can also make this dish sooner or later early, refrigerate it after which re-heat over very low warmth earlier than serving. In our household, I make it the morning of Thanksgiving and let it relaxation earlier than re-warming and serving. Recent out of the oven, it’s barely crumbly and onerous to serve.

Excellent Southern Cornbread Dressing recipe notes

• If you’re trying to keep away from all of the pitfalls of different dressing recipes, this recipe is for you.  To begin with, the crumbled cornbread and bread cubes are unnoticed in a single day to dry, so the dressing isn’t too moist. There’s milk, eggs, and rooster broth to ensure it is by no means too dry. Whereas different dressings would possibly bake up flat and dense, this one has eggs for raise and fluff. Any potential set-backs to get pleasure from this carb-loaded, best-part-of-Thanksgiving, I-might-skip-the-turkey-for-this-recipe has all been precariously deliberate for and diverted.
• The spices are doubled and tripled what they was once within the authentic Southern Residing recipe, and nonetheless, I handle to amp them up each time I make the recipe. It simply retains getting higher. Come to my home in 10 years, and I will be including a whole cup of sage.
• Should you make this, you’ll be able to deal with all fan mail to my Mama. I perceive that no different dressing recipe will ever grace your desk after you style this one, so if you wish to begin a social media revolution and ship me snaps, Instagrams, and tweets of you burning the recipe card along with your earlier stuffing recipe, we will completely try this. Yow will discover me wherever on social media with the title ‘dessert for 2.’ I will be ready for you; that is how good this Southern cornbread dressing recipe is!

Methods to serve Southern Cornbread Dressing:

Let the dressing cool for no less than 10 minutes after baking earlier than reducing into squares and serving.

Southern Dressing Recipe storage

Can cornbread be unnoticed in a single day?

 Sure, it’s completely nice to crumble or cube cornbread and depart it out at room temperature in a single day in order that it goes stale for dressing. Stale cornbread soaks up extra taste.

Cornbread Dressing FAQs

Do you place eggs in dressing?

 Sure, eggs in dressing give it raise and fluffy. It additionally helps to bind all the elements collectively.

What’s the distinction between cornbread stuffing and cornbread dressing?

Nothing, so long as they’re baked the identical means. Should you stuff this right into a turkey to bake it, it’s referred to as ‘stuffing.’ Should you bake in a separate dish, it’s referred to as ‘dressing.’ Similar recipe, totally different names, primarily based on how it’s cooked.

Why is my cornbread dressing mushy?

In case your cornbread dressing is mushy, make certain you baked it in a large sufficient pan. Loads of floor space will assist the highest crisp and the underside bake utterly. Additionally, make certain you measured your elements correctly and didn’t add an excessive amount of liquid. You may add extra baking time to assist dry it out, or slice it into squares and toast it earlier than serving.

Why is my cornbread dressing bland?

Should you comply with my recipe, your dressing shall be something however bland. As you add the herbs, crush them in your fingers to assist launch the oils. Additionally, remember to add the complete quantity of salt the recipe requires, in any other case it will possibly style bland.