Nicely-sliced stuffing is not new-to-me -- it's old-school brilliance. My grandmother always baked her stuffing in two loaf pans because it was an efficient use of oven space. As a savvy cook, she figured out that two, high, narrow loaf pans took up less oven space than a low, shallow casserole while yielding about the same amount. Her stuffing loaves baked on either side of the roasting turkey with miscellaneous other casseroles strategically placed on the remaining upper rack.
Some fun facts about making stuffing in a bundt pan:
Making Thanksgiving stuffing in a 12-cup bundt pan does not take up less oven space. That said, it's a picture-perfect presentation that makes everyone smile. From a practical standpoint, it feeds a crowd (or a small gathering of stuffing lovers) and it's very user-friendly: it easy to portion, slice and serve at the table or on the buffet line, and, slices are especially convenient on those closed or open-faced turkey sandwiches the next day. Stuffing slices can be wrapped, stacked and frozen too -- for those desperate times when one just has to have a slice of stuffing.
Tips for successfully making beautiful bundt pan stuffing:
The ties that bind -- add eggs. Any stuffing recipe will work (or can be made to work) as long as it contains enough eggs to bind it together. So, if you're a fan of crumbly cornbread-type or loose broth-based eggless stuffings, if six lightly-beaten eggs do not get folded into it, the stuffing will just fall apart when unmolded -- which is the point of baking stuffing in a bundt pan. There's more, if your stuffing recipe already contains four eggs, add two more -- don't ask questions, just do it.
Lower temperature, longer time. Stuffing is dense and stuffing baked in a bundt pan (instead of a shallow casserole) requires more time. Generally an extra 15-30 minutes. Because it is so dense, in order for it to cook through to the center without over browning on the outside, lower the oven temperature to 325º. Spray a 12-cup bundt pan with no-stick and fill it to the top with stuffing. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake, covered, 1 hour. Uncover and bake 45 minutes.
Resting and unmolding. Stuffing contains no leaveners, so, worry not about filling the pan to the top -- it actually makes it easier to unmold. There's more. Because bundt pan stuffing is dense from the get-go, it takes a long time to cool down. Just as the turkey rests 30-45 minutes prior to carving, rest the stuffing for 30-45 minutes. Using a thin spatula, carefully loosen stuffing from the edges, place a plate atop the bundt pan and invert the stuffing out onto the plate.
Take a stuffing slice or three & gobble, gobble, gobble!
Nicely-Sliced: Stuffing in a Bundt Pan Stuffing Ring: Tips for successfully baking stuffing in a bundt pan/16-20 servings.
Special Equipment List: 12-cup bundt pan; wire cooling rack; plate; serrated bread knife
Cook's Note: ~ I Just Love My Mother's Cracker Stuffing Casserole ~, and, it's the recipe pictured throughout this post. It's a simple mixture of saltine crackers soaked in milk and eggs with sautéed celery, onions and ground beef. Yes, I ground beef. Mom disliked turkey giblets, so, she substituted the ground meat to mimic their look and mouth feel, which makes it versatile enough to serve with a prime rib roast for the Christmas or New Years holidays.
"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti
(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2018)
Comments