Sourdough Stuffing with Fennel

This Sourdough Stuffing with Fennel is one of my favorite Thanksgiving side dishes. It’s made with aromatic fennel, a medley of fresh herbs, and crusty sourdough bread with crispy, crunchy edges and a tender interior.

Stuffing, also known as dressing, is one of the most iconic dishes on any Thanksgiving table. This sourdough stuffing recipe is easy and classic with a fennel twist.

Fennel imparts a delicate sweetness and subtle licorice-like flavor, lifting the otherwise hearty stuffing with a touch of brightness and herbal freshness. It takes center stage without overshadowing the other fresh herbs, crusty and buttery bread, and additional aromatics in the stuffing.

The sourdough stuffing recipe guides you step-by-step through every aspect of the process. I hope you’ll give it a try at your dinner table along with these other sourdough Thanksgiving recipes!

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Why You’ll Love this Sourdough Stuffing Recipe

• Sourdough Bread makes the best stuffing
  • Crusty sourdough bread makes the best stuffing for several reasons: it can absorb more broth and flavors, it’s sturdy enough to hold its own without getting soggy, it has more flavor than sandwich bread, and it offers a range of textures from crunchy to soft.
• It’s a versatile stuffing recipe
  • This fennel stuffing is versatile enough to be made with whatever type of broth/stock you have on hand, along with any of your favorite fresh or dried herbs. You can also bake it to the level of crispiness that you prefer.
• Stuffing stores well
  • While it’s best served warm, this sourdough stuffing stores very well- both before and after baking. You can mix it ahead of time for your Thanksgiving preparations, store it in the refrigerator, and bake on Thanksgiving Day. Alternatively, you can bake it earlier in the day and simply reheat it in the oven.
• It has perfectly crispy edges
  • For anyone who loves the tantalizing contrasts of soft, moist stuffing with crispy edges, this recipe is for you!

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🛠 Tools Needed

• Baking Dish
  • I typically use a 2.5-quart baking dish (typically 11×7″), but you could use a 3-quart (9×13″) baking dish as well like in this Sourdough Apple Crisp .
  • A larger baking dish size means you’ll need to either increase the amount of bread and broth or take the stuffing out of the oven faster since it won’t be as thick.

Otherwise, you’ll only need some basic cooking tools, such as a large mixing bowl and a skillet.

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🛒 Ingredients Needed

Sourdough Bread:

• The most important part of stuffing is the bread. Use stale, day-old sourdough bread for the best results. I use about 1 to 1 ¼ lbs of bread (or about 500 grams of bread). My Everyday Sourdough Bread Recipe is my go-to for homemade stuffing.
• If you don’t have sourdough bread, sourdough baguettes or another crusty French bread will work. This recipe isn’t the time for sandwich bread, brioche, or a loaf with a strong flavor like Sourdough Anadama Bread.
• Tear apart the stale bread to achieve the best array of textures, rather than making bread cubes.

Aromatics:

• Onions, garlic, and celery are the basic trio of vegetables here with fennel rounding it all out.
• If you don’t have fennel, I recommend using more celery (FYI, sometimes fennel is labeled as anise in the produce aisles, even though they’re technically not the same).
• You could also use another vegetable like leeks.

Herbs:

• I typically use fennel seeds, parsley, and sage. The fennel seeds help bring out even more anise flavor. You’re welcome to use other herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, chives, or marjoram in this recipe.

Eggs:

• Like making bread pudding, eggs help hold the stuffing together so it doesn’t completely fall apart.

Liquids:

• Use a dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc, to deglaze the pan. It also helps carry the flavor of the aromatics in the dish.
• However, you can substitute it with a mixture of ½ cup of water, white wine vinegar, distilled vinegar, or lemon juice for a similar effect.
• I typically use a scoop of vegetable Better Than Bouillon in water to make broth. However, you can use vegetable or chicken broth or stock in this recipe.

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👨‍🍳 How to Make Sourdough Stuffing with Fennel

Follow this visual and detailed recipe guide as you make this sourdough stuffing with fennel.

1. Tear Apart and Dry Out the Bread

Stale sourdough bread makes for better croutons and stuffing because it absorbs liquid better and will prevent sogginess.

There are two ways to dry out the bread:

• One method is to tear apart the bread into bite-sized pieces and let it sit out overnight.
• The other method is more involved, but still simple. Additionally, it’s preferable to bake on the same day with fresh bread.

Tear apart the bread into bite-sized pieces, put on a baking sheet, and bake at 300ºF (149ºC) until slightly crisp.

2. Cook the Aromatics

Preheat oven to 375ºF (191ºC).

Heat olive oil and unsalted butter in a large skillet over medium heat.

Once the butter is melted, add the chopped onion, fennel bulb, and celery stalks. Season with salt and black pepper.

Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables soften and begin to take on some color. Stir in the minced garlic cloves and fennel seeds and cook for a minute until fragrant.

Then, pour in dry white wine and deglaze the pan, scraping up any brown bits. Continue cooking and stirring for another couple of minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Remove from the heat and set aside.

3. Whisk the Eggs and Broth

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, broth, salt and pepper.

4. Mix the Stuffing

Add the slightly cooled vegetable mixture, some fresh parsley and fresh sage to the large bowl of torn sourdough bread. Stir until the bread is evenly coated.

Pour the liquid broth and egg mixture over the bread and gently fold the bread. At first some liquid may pool at the bottom of the bowl, but the bread should begin soaking in the liquid.

Let it sit for a minute or two, then mix again until all the liquid is absorbed.

If necessary, add more broth to the bread if it seems unusually dry (every bread soaks up moisture differently).

5. Bake

Dump the stuffing into a baking dish.

Dot the top of the stuffing with the remaining butter. This will help the top get nice and crispy during baking!

Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake at 375ºF (191ºC) for 35 minutes.

Remove the foil, turn up the oven temperature to 425ºF (218ºC), and bake for another 25-30 minutes, or until the top is as crisp to your liking.

Cool slightly on a wire rack, and optionally top with the reserved fennel fronds or other fresh herbs before digging in.

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How to Store Sourdough Stuffing

While it’s best freshly baked, sourdough stuffing stores well!

You can store leftovers in the refrigerator for 4-5 days and reheat before serving. If it dries out, you can add a splash of broth (or water) to the stuffing to keep it more moist.

Can You Freeze Stuffing?

You can freeze baked stuffing in an airtight container in the freezer for a month. Thaw in the refrigerator and reheat before serving.

Can You Make Sourdough Stuffing Ahead?

You can prepare the cooked vegetable mixture ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for up to a couple of days.

Once the stuffing is assembled, you can wrap it in foil and store in the refrigerator for a day. The bread can become soggy if it sits for too long, so I recommend reducing the broth slightly and re-stirring it before baking.

Finally, another option is to bake the stuffing ahead of time, cover it with aluminum foil, and reheat it in the oven at 350ºF until warmed through.

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❓ FAQs:

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