Thanksgiving Stuffing / Dressing (Classic Bread Stuffing)

Stuffing (cooked inside the bird) or dressing (cooked in a separate dish) is, for many American families, the most anticipated element of the Thanksgiving meal — the dish around which arguments about the 'correct' version (bread vs. cornbread, sage vs. thyme, with or without oysters) have been conducted for generations. The classic bread stuffing begins with stale bread dried in the oven, sautéed aromatics (onion, celery, garlic), turkey or chicken stock, and eggs, flavoured with sage and thyme. Baked outside the bird in a casserole dish, it develops a golden crust on top and a moist, savoury interior. The distinction between stuffing cooked inside the bird (which absorbs turkey fat and juices, becoming richer) and dressing cooked separately (which develops a crustier top) is a genuine flavour difference, and both approaches have devoted advocates.