Simple Breadmaker Bread Stuffing

I have been making this stuffing for the past few years for Thanksgiving. The Breadmaker makes it so incredibly easy to make your own bread and it tastes so much better than the store-bought bread crumbs! The cooking time does not include the time to make the bread. You should make the bread at least one day before you plan on serving the stuffing, so therefore, the cooking time does not include making the homemade bread. I have also mixed white and wheat flour to make a wheat version of the stuffing and it tastes very good. *Note-I have also added some dried cranberries and it makes is for some nice sweet bits in the stuffing. Enjoy!

• Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins
• Serves: 5-8

Ingredients

• For The Bread

• 1  cup warm water, plus
• 4  teaspoons water
• 3  cups flour (You can mix white and wheat flour)
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1  teaspoon sugar
• 2 1⁄4 teaspoons  yeast
• 1  teaspoon sage

• For the Stuffing

• 1  large onion, Diced
• 3  tablespoons butter
• 2  garlic cloves, minced in Garlic Press
• 3 -4  celery ribs, diced
• 2  teaspoons sage
• 1  teaspoon thyme
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1  teaspoon pepper
• 2 (14 ounce) cans chicken broth, Heated in Microwave for about 3-5 minutes and very hot

Directions

1. For the Bread: In the breadmaker pan, add the water to the pan first, and then the dry ingredients on top. Put the pan in breadmaker and use the "Dough" Setting. This should take about 90 minutes, depending on the breadmaker.
2. When Dough is ready, Turn oven on to 350 Degrees. Using a Loaf Baking pan, Spray the pan well with PAM spray. Lay the dough into the pan, cover with a towel, and allow to sit for about 10 minutes. Bake the bread for about 35-40 Minutes.
3. Allow the bread to completely cool and lay the bread into a large Ziploc bag.
4. On the day you are serving the stuffing, remove the bread from the Ziploc bag, and cut the bread into nice-sized bread cubes. Lay them evenly onto a baking sheet and toast them in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.
5. In a large pot, melt the butter and add the onions and celery. Cook them for about 5 minutes or until cooked well. Add the garlic and cook them for about 30 seconds.
6. Add the seasonings and continue to cook for about 5-10 minutes.
7. Add the toasted bread cubes to the pot and stir them well into the onion mixture. Add the hot chicken broth to the pot and stir the bread cubes until nicely moistened. You can now add about 1 Cup of Dried Cranberries if you prefer and again stir them in well.
8. Transfer the stuffing to a large baking dish, cover with tin foil, and bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes.