Once I started drying my own bread cubes for my stuffing, it took my Thanksgiving stuffing recipe to new heights. Learn how to dry your own bread for DIY stuffing cubes, and win Thanksgiving this year and every year.
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In 2015 I started a Thanksgiving Basics series, sharing my tried and true techniques gathered from hosting and cooking Thanksgiving for MANY years. I opened the series with my version of turkey stock. Then I added these stuffing bread cubes, then stuffing and then the dry-brined turkey.
If you think those crunchy cubes only come from a bag or box from the market, I’m here to tell you they are so easy to make yourself. Once you give it a try, you’ll never go back to store-bought again. I promise.
If you read the package on many prepared, store-bought cubes you’ll find ingredients you may not want to eat. For example, you don’t need preservatives added to your dried bread cubes.
If you bake your own stuffing cubes, you can choose what breads you use, how you want to season them, how toasty you want them to be, what size bread cube you prefer. You can even use up leftover bread scraps if you want to avoid waste.
What Types of Bread Can I Use for Stuffing Cubes?
We’ve been making a variation of the same stuffing for Thanksgiving for a long time. It started as the Cornbread Sausage Stuffing from The Silver Palate Cookbook. In 2001 in Parade magazine I read about making your own cornbread stuffing cubes by seasoning and baking the cubes.
I’ve been doing it ever since. But not just with cornbread. I have used white bread, challah bread, whole wheat bread and sourdough bread. The only restriction is your imagination.
How to Make Your Own Stuffing Bread Cubes
Think of this “recipe” as a method. I give you lots of guidelines and tips and tricks but you can change the bread you use and match the seasonings to your stuffing recipe and menu. Here are the basics – the rest of the details are in the recipe card below.
- Cut your bread into cubes: ½ – 1 inch.
- Place the cubes on cookie sheets.
- Add some olive oil and seasonings and mix (I do this right on the sheet tray to avoid another bowl to wash).
- Put in preheated 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes, checking frequently and mixing around to ensure even cooking.
- Let them cool and store in airtight container or even freeze for 2-3 months.
Can you Freeze Bread Cubes for Stuffing?
Yes, you can freeze stuffing bread cubes. Either use two freezer bags or preferably an airtight re-usable storage container. Just take them out when you are ready to make your stuffing.
If by chance you stuff the actual turkey, be sure to defrost them so you don’t slow down the cooking of the stuffing in the bird. But if you are cooking the stuffing outside of the bird, you should be able to go straight from freezer to stuffing mixture.
Are Bread Cubes the Same as Croutons?
In many ways, seasoned bread cubes for stuffing are very similar to croutons. One of the key and important differences, though, is the amount of oil or butter used in croutons. Croutons are meant to stand on their own in a salad and are therefore more heavily seasoned. Part of the flavor is the added oil or butter.
Bread cubes for stuffing should have flavor but need less added oil and butter and don’t stand on their own. They become part of the stuffing mixture.
Other Great Thanksgiving Recipes on OMG! Yummy
For ease of browsing, find all my Thanksgiving recipes here and lots of menu ideas and planning tools here.
Love leftovers? How about this Turkey Shepherd’s Pie with Stuffing Crust!
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DIY Stuffing Cubes
Ingredients
- Bread cubes (one medium size 16 ounce loaf of challah will yield about 10 cups of cubes, one 8X8 pan of cornbread will yield 9 – 12 cups of cubes and 6 slices of sourdough bread will yield about 4 cups of cubes. I share these measurements to give you an idea of how to decide how much bread you need based on how many cups of cubes your stuffing recipe lists. Many stuffing recipes will ask for around 10 cups of cubes but it really depends on how many people you are feeding.)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil per sheet pan of cubes
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme per sheet pan of cubes
- ½ teaspoon dried sage per sheet pan of cubes
- ½ teaspoon salt per sheet pan of cubes
- ½ teaspoon pepper per sheet pan of cubes
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees regular or 325 degrees convection.
- Slice your bread into approximately ½ inch cubes. Spread the cubes on cookie sheets, not too tightly packed. I usually fill up about 4 large sheet pans but it really depends how big a crowd you are feeding.
- Pour about 2 tablespoons of olive oil over each tray of cubes and sprinkle your dried herbs – thyme, sage, salt and pepper or whatever flavorings you have chosen. Mix the cubes all around to distribute the flavors. If your corn bread is really crumbly, be gentle and don’t mix too much but I personally like some of those bread crumbs in my stuffing too.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, checking at about 10 minutes for doneness and to mix around. Cubes should be browned but not completely dark. They will firm up when you take them out.
- These can be made several days in advance and stored in a bag or container on the counter or in the pantry.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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I tried this a couple years ago and will never go back to store bought. Making mine today for thanksgiving on Thursday. So easy and so much tastier!
Yay! Will make my cornbread tomorrow and cubes on Tuesday. Have a safe and delicious Thanksgiving!
Just did this with some almost-done sourdough loaf! The perfect pinch when the mood for stuffing calls and there is bag o’cubes in the pantry! Love it!
Lol! When there is NO bag o’cubes in the pantry
Yay! Why waste a good stuffing mood or the last bits of a loaf of bread! What did you make with it? I’m getting hungry
Thinking of trying something like this out for Christmas dinner, never made my own stuffing before but must this year since my family’s go-to boxed stuffing is no longer being sold where i live 🙁 If i made it like how you wrote above, how would i go about actually making it to serve the day of? Could i do it like im making a boxed mix? Add boiling water and butter into a mixing bowl add stuffing mixture in and stir until the bread cubes get soft, then i would usually just pop them into the oven for about 20 minutes then serve.
Hi Aly – so these are just the cubes, as you know but they of course can be turned into a fantastic stuffing. I do have a stuffing recipe post (https://omgyummy.com/sage-sausage-cornbread-and-challah-stuffing/) that uses these bread cubes. So perhaps take a look at that for method. Basically, to turn them into stuffing, you add sauteed veggies like onions and celery, and then any other ingredients you like – dried fruit, nuts, apples, sausage – and then chicken or turkey stock to pull it all together. Additional seasoning if you want, then bake! Never hurts to dot it with butter when you do bake it. Does this help? Let me know if I can help you further to figure out your new stuffing recipe. And happy holidays.
Hello and Happy Thanksgiving, I’m in the process of making these beauties and would like to know if I can store them in an airtight plastic storage bag WITHOUT FREEZING THEM until Thanksgiving (that’s about 10 days from now).
Thank you for your help and all of your fantastic recipes!
Carolina Calling
That is a great question! I was just thinking about that because I’m working on a Thanksgiving prep calendar to share to show how I get ready for the big day. I usually make mine the week of BUT I see no reason why you couldn’t store them in an airtight plastic bag or glass jars in a cool dry place. The only caveat would be if you live in a super humid location then you might want to refrigerate or freeze. But I make my own bread crumbs and store them in the pantry in plastic bags or jars and they keep for at least a year. You should be fine!
P.S. Happy Thanksgiving to you!
This looks perfect for Thanksgiving turkey! Thank you for sharing!
I love being able to control my own levels of spice and flavor! Perfect for holiday dinners!
Works great with gluten free bread also./
Hi all. I do a little variation on bread crumb prep. I mix wine and olive oil into a spray bottle. I find I get nice coverage for the spices to stick and the wine leaves a nice background flavor. I tend to moisten the bread Cubes perhaps more than some might think prudent (mot wet) but the wine evaporates quickly. It will add 2-5 minutes to your bake time. Cheers, Bradbury
Oh how interesting! What kind of wine?
I am so excited about Thanksgiving stuffing. I usually just use regular bread. Never thought of making my own toasted cubes. I’ll have to try it this year!
Right? Really such an easy extra step that ups the taste of the stuffing tremendously, I think.
It’s just not Thanksgiving without great stuffing. Great recipe! Bookmarking!
It’s become legendary at our little celebration. Most of us would be happy with pretty much a whole plate of this stuff 🙂
I use potato bread. Then brown jimmy dean roll sausage. Saute onion and celery in the drippings add ing unsalted butter. Add chicken broth, dried sage, dried thyme, salt, pepper. Mix with the cubes. Bake in a buttered casserole pan. Bake untill heated thru and browned on top. My stuffing is legendary. I like mine crispy on top. Try it you wont be disappointed.
Sounds divine and very similar to what we do. Except no nuts and fruit. Love the idea of potato bread! Thanks for sharing your recipe and tradition!
Just in time for Thanksgiving planning….when I forget to buy this I can now make it!
So easy and take your stuffing to the next level!
Good tips. Thanks for sharing
https://coolkitchenutensils.com
Perfect!
Love this episode of Thanksgiving prep! Stuffing is always the dish my family pounces on and using homemade stuffing cubes is definitely the best. I’ve always dried my bread cubes in the oven but haven’t seasoned ahead of time like you do. I will this year! Thank you for the inspiration. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family, Beth! xox
Hope you had a great Thanksgiving with lots of well-seasoned bread cubes!