Question About gluten-free Stuffing

[Ridgewalker]

Ok, SOMEHOW the whole extended family ended up invited to our house for Thanksgiving this year.

Now it's ok... I like to cook, and I like to cook for large numbers... But the biggest thing I'm worried about is the gluten-free stuffing. Two concerns:

1) Is it more likely to turn mushy than regular stuffing?

2) I want to dry the breadcrumbs/cubes a couple days ahead of time. How do I store them so that they don't get soft again? Tight lid, or let them breathe? On the counter, or in the fridge?

Any advice is much appreciated!

[lpellegr]

I haven't made stuffing from gluten-free bread yet, but I do dry it for croutons and crumbs. I made two loaves today, one for crumbs, one for croutons. For both, I cut the bread into slices, then cubes, then put into oven at 250 and check and stir about every 15-30 minutes until I don't feel any more moisture. These should stay dry for a few days in a plastic bag or some Rubbermaid container with the lid on at room temp. In my family we never liked mushy stuffing (the first time I had Stove-Top at someone else's house I couldn't figure out what this had to do with stuffing because ours was not mushy), so we don't cook it in the bird. My mom would mix the dry bread cubes with the onions, seasoning, broth, etc in a big roasting pan and bake after the bird was done. I think it was covered with foil most of the time, but uncovered at the end to get the top cubes crunchy. My guess would be that if the gluten-free bread cubes come in contact with much moisture, they will collapse into bread mush. If you can stand to have gluten in the house, you could make a pan of regular stuffing for the guests (and explain the quarantine procedures to everyone - I did this and left that stuffing across the room and made them get it last to avoid cross-contaminating the serving utensils, then made them get a clean plate for seconds for the same reason), making a small batch of gluten-free stuffing for the gluten-free folks. No stuffing in the bird, so it's safe to eat for all. Otherwise I'd say keep the gluten-free stuffing out of the bird and it will probably not mush down. Good luck! Maybe you should make a small batch ahead of time and test it out.

BTW, to make croutons after drying the cubes, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with seasoning, toss, and back into the oven at 250 - 350 until as brown and crunchy as you like. Store at room temp in closed container once cooled. To make crumbs from the dry cubes, throw them into a food processor. Store in freezer in zip bag just in case they're not dry enough to avoid mold over time.

[Ridgewalker]

Lee, thanks for your response!

Your mom's method sounds just like my mom's method, and that's what I'm going for! I think mushy stuffing is gross, but there are a few family members that like it. So I asked my mother-in-law to bring a dish of Stovetop stuffing, and I'll handle the gluten-free stuffing.

I'm not going to put stuffing in the turkey at all, which I know is going to shock and scandalize both my mom and my MIL. I think I'm going to put some kind of citrus in the cavity instead. I've done apples inside whole chickens before, and it came out great. I think citrus would be good in a turkey.

My grandma used to make the driest stuffing on the planet, and it was sooo good with turkey gravy on it.

Oh God.

Turkey gravy.

I always used jarred, gluteny gravy.

How the heck do you make turkey gravy?! I am so bad at making gravy, it's not even funny. That may be a task to delegate to my mom.