Homemade Cornbread Dressing
By America's Test KitchenPublished on November 9, 2011
Time
3¼ hours, plus 2¾ hours cooling
Yield
Serves 10 to 12
Ingredients
Cornbread
2 ⅔ cups milk ½ cup vegetable oil 4 large eggs 2 cups cornmeal (see note)2 cups all-purpose flour 4 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon saltDressing
1 ½ pounds bulk pork sausage 2 onions, chopped fine 3 celery ribs, chopped fine6 tablespoons unsalted butter 4 garlic cloves, minced1 teaspoon dried sage 1 teaspoon dried thyme 3 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth 1 cup half-and-half 4 large eggs ½ teaspoon salt ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepperBefore You Begin
The baked cornbread can be left in its pan up to two days before making the stuffing. Instead of oven-drying in step 2, stale the cubed cornbread overnight at room temperature. Use fine or coarse cornmeal.
Instructions
- PREPARE CORNBREAD Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour 13- by 9-inch baking pan. Whisk milk, oil, and eggs in bowl; set aside. Combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt in large bowl. Add milk mixture, whisking until smooth. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake on lower-middle rack until golden and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack, about 2 hours. (Cornbread can be prepared up to 2 days in advance.)
- DRY CORNBREAD Heat oven to 250 degrees. Cut cornbread into 1-inch squares. Divide cornbread between two rimmed baking sheets and bake until dry, 50 to 60 minutes, switching and rotating baking sheets halfway through baking. Cool cornbread completely on sheets, about 30 minutes.
- SAUTÉ AROMATICS Cook sausage in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Transfer sausage to paper towel-lined plate and pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from pan. Add onions, celery, and 2 tablespoons butter to fat in pan and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, sage, and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth, remove from heat, and let cool 5 minutes.
- SOAK CORNBREAD Whisk half-and-half, eggs, salt, and cayenne in large bowl. Slowly whisk in warm broth mixture until incorporated. Fold in dried cornbread and reserved sausage and let sit, tossing occasionally, until saturated, about 20 minutes.
- BAKE DRESSING Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 13- by 9-inch baking pan. Transfer soaked cornbread to prepared pan. Melt remaining butter and drizzle evenly over top. Bake on upper-middle rack until surface is golden brown and crisp, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes. Serve.
Time
3¼ hours, plus 2¾ hours coolingYield
Serves 10 to 12Ingredients
Cornbread
2 ⅔ cups milk
½ cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
2 cups cornmeal (see note)
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Dressing
1 ½ pounds bulk pork sausage
2 onions, chopped fine
3 celery ribs, chopped fine
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup half-and-half
4 large eggs
½ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Cornbread
2 ⅔ cups milk
½ cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
2 cups cornmeal (see note)
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Dressing
1 ½ pounds bulk pork sausage
2 onions, chopped fine
3 celery ribs, chopped fine
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup half-and-half
4 large eggs
½ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Cornbread
2 ⅔ cups milk
½ cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
2 cups cornmeal (see note)
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Dressing
1 ½ pounds bulk pork sausage
2 onions, chopped fine
3 celery ribs, chopped fine
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup half-and-half
4 large eggs
½ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Because our Homemade Cornbread Dressing is so flavorful, we could replace the butter with vegetable oil and eliminate buttermilk from the cornbread altogether. We found that if we forgot to stale our cornbread overnight, we could get the same results in less than an hour by baking it at a low temperature.
A generous hand with the sausage and eggs and adding half-and-half to the dressing brought welcome flavor and richness to the dish.
Before You Begin
The baked cornbread can be left in its pan up to two days before making the stuffing. Instead of oven-drying in step 2, stale the cubed cornbread overnight at room temperature. Use fine or coarse cornmeal.
Instructions
- PREPARE CORNBREAD Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour 13- by 9-inch baking pan. Whisk milk, oil, and eggs in bowl; set aside. Combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt in large bowl. Add milk mixture, whisking until smooth. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake on lower-middle rack until golden and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack, about 2 hours. (Cornbread can be prepared up to 2 days in advance.)
- DRY CORNBREAD Heat oven to 250 degrees. Cut cornbread into 1-inch squares. Divide cornbread between two rimmed baking sheets and bake until dry, 50 to 60 minutes, switching and rotating baking sheets halfway through baking. Cool cornbread completely on sheets, about 30 minutes.
- SAUTÉ AROMATICS Cook sausage in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Transfer sausage to paper towel-lined plate and pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from pan. Add onions, celery, and 2 tablespoons butter to fat in pan and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, sage, and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth, remove from heat, and let cool 5 minutes.
- SOAK CORNBREAD Whisk half-and-half, eggs, salt, and cayenne in large bowl. Slowly whisk in warm broth mixture until incorporated. Fold in dried cornbread and reserved sausage and let sit, tossing occasionally, until saturated, about 20 minutes.
- BAKE DRESSING Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 13- by 9-inch baking pan. Transfer soaked cornbread to prepared pan. Melt remaining butter and drizzle evenly over top. Bake on upper-middle rack until surface is golden brown and crisp, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes. Serve.
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