Whole Wheat Bread, Apple and Cranberry Dressing

By Martha Rose Shulman

Updated Nov. 13, 2024

Whole Wheat Bread, Apple and Cranberry Dressing
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
1½ hours
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
1 1¼ hours
Rating
5(68)
Comments
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Having grown up with Pepperidge Farm stuffing, I will always have a weakness for bread stuffing seasoned with sage and thyme, with plenty of chopped onion and celery. I prefer to use 100 percent whole wheat bread, one that isn’t at all sweet. A mixed grains bread would also work. The apple and cranberries contribute sweetness, tartness and texture to the classic dressing. I bake this in a gratin dish; you can double the recipe if you want to use it for a stuffing as well, and put half inside the bird. But, moistened with a well seasoned vegetable stock, the dressing makes a great vegetarian side dish. Just be sure to use plenty of stock to moisten, as the problem with most stuffings that are baked outside the bird is that they are dry. Tender apples like McIntosh, Gala, Macoun and Cortland work well in this dish.

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Ingredients

Yield:Makes 4 to 6 servings
  • 8 to 9ounces whole wheat bread (with crusts), cut into ¾ to 1-inch cubes (4 to 5 cups)
  • 3tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1medium or large onion, finely chopped
  • 2stalks celery, diced
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 1large apple, peeled and diced
  • ¼cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 2teaspoons minced fresh thyme
  • 1tablespoon minced fresh sage or 1 teaspoon rubbed dried sage
  • ½cup dried cranberries
  • 1egg
  • 1cup chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1tablespoon unsalted butter
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

286 calories; 12 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 40 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 17 grams sugars; 8 grams protein; 446 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil or butter a 2-quart baking dish. Place cubed bread in a large bowl.

  2. Step 2

    Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet. Add onion and celery and cook, stirring, until onion is tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and scrape into bowl with the bread. Add remaining olive oil to bowl and all of the other ingredients except egg and stock. Season generously with salt and pepper and toss well.

  3. Step 3

    Beat egg in a small bowl and whisk in ½ cup of stock. Scrape into bread mixture and mix together well. Turn into prepared baking dish. Douse mixture with remaining stock (hold back about ¼ cup if you are going to reheat). Dot top with butter.

  4. Step 4

    Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake another 15 minutes, until top is nicely browned. Serve hot.

Tips
  • Advance preparation: You can make this a day ahead and reheat. You will want to douse with a little more stock and drizzle with more oil or dot with butter.
  • Variation: Cornbread Stuffing With Apple and Cranberries Substitute cornbread, crumbled or diced, for the whole wheat bread.

Ratings

5 out of 5
68 user ratings
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Comments

Dhw

This was delicious, but the bread cubes are far too big! The next time I would use 1/2” cubes; otherwise the bread overwhelms the rest of the ingredients. Most important: if you are buying dried cranberries, make sure that they’re not heavily sweetened. I bought fresh cranberries, dried them in the oven overnight, and then added a VERY small amount of sugar to the berries before adding to the stuffing mixture. It definitely needed more stock. I baked the day ahead and then reheated with a

Alex

So this is going to sound bizarre, but I turned this recipe into Dressing Waffles. By using Hawaiian bread and an extra egg, this mixture was amazing in my waffle maker. It was a huge hit! I also ended up throwing in the apples at the end of sauteeing the onion, along with a tsp of dijon, and all the aromatics, which really brought out their flavor. Went great with my turkey and cranberry sauce! Dressing waffles, who knew?!

DWHA

What’s the best amount of time and temp to reheat a double recipe if made the day before?

Cynthia T

Made as described with a little more broth—enjoyed it! Will make again, maybe with a little more apple

Dhw

This was delicious, but the bread cubes are far too big! The next time I would use 1/2” cubes; otherwise the bread overwhelms the rest of the ingredients. Most important: if you are buying dried cranberries, make sure that they’re not heavily sweetened. I bought fresh cranberries, dried them in the oven overnight, and then added a VERY small amount of sugar to the berries before adding to the stuffing mixture. It definitely needed more stock. I baked the day ahead and then reheated with a

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