Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep cornbread dressing from getting gummy? ›

Stir occasionally to ensure even drying. And if your dressing is still too mushy after baking, you can add more crumbled cornbread, dry bread, or even dry breadcrumbs or croutons to absorb excess moisture. Mix it in gently, so you don't compress the dressing too much.

In a large bowl, whisk together broth, soup, eggs, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper; stir in vegetable mixture. Crumble cornbread into broth mixture and stir until well combined. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake until center is set, 45 to 55 minutes.

If the stuffing came out too wet and soggy (aka bread soup!) try not to over mix it, otherwise it'll turn into mush. Curtis Stone says to pour it on a large sheet tray and spread it out. Bake it on high heat to crisp it up, but make sure it doesn't burn.

Avoid bland dressing by making sure to include plenty of onions, celery, and herbs in your recipe. Now is not the time to go easy with the sage, thyme, and pepper. The dressing should taste different from your cornbread.

You can use either stock or broth for keeping dressing moist or as a basis for gravy, but a strong flavor will give you better results.

She notes that Northern cornbread is sweeter, lighter, and more cake-like than Southern cornbread. Not surprisingly, it includes sugar (or molasses, in the earlier centuries), unlike traditional Southern cornbread.

You want your stuffing moist but not soggy and certainly not dry. The bread in the stuffing absorbs moisture, but if it's dry (as it should be, see above), it takes some time for the liquid to settle in. I suggest adding a little at a time, say 1 cup of broth for every 4 cups of dry mix.

Be sure to leave enough time — the cornbread needs to sit out overnight to harden slightly before you make the dressing.

Pour dressing into two 9×13 baking dishes and bake until lightly browned, about 30 – 45 minutes. To test doneness, shake casserole dish lightly. If the center of the dressing moves, then the dressing is not cooked through in the center.

You can refrigerate the cornbread dressing in an airtight container if you want to use it within the next three to four days. Before refrigerating, make sure to let it cool to room temperature.

Why put egg in dressing? ›

Eggs add richness to the stuffing, and makes it cohere better. I'd use two eggs per pound of bread. I'm a no egg person - and I still stuff the bird (but also do a batch out of the bird). me, too, Chem - I make a boatload of dressing (we never stuff the bird) specifically so I have leftovers to eat with gravy.

So stuffing is cooked inside the bird. Dressing is cooked outside the bird, usually in a casserole dish.

Broth: Chicken broth keeps the stuffing moist without making it soggy. Eggs: Two lightly beaten eggs help hold the dressing together and add moisture. Water: You can add a few tablespoons of water, if you'd like, to achieve your desired consistency.

The Spruce Eats explains that acidic ingredients like white vinegar and lemon juice also can counteract saltiness. If you opt for either of these ingredients, use them sparingly, since too much could turn your stuffing mushy and you'll be left to troubleshoot another stuffing mishap.

If your dressing doesn't turn out right, don't fret. You can usually fix it. If you find your stuffing is too dry, add additional warmed broth to it, stir well, and return to the oven, checking periodically. If the stuffing is overly wet and too gummy, cook it uncovered for a bit longer, checking periodically.

Flour is sometimes added to round out the batter, but always in smaller amounts than cornmeal itself. Flip the ratio, using more flour than cornmeal, and you'll end up with corn-flavored cakey stuff (such as those gummy “Yankee-style” muffins of my youth).

Overmixing the batter

In your zeal to thoroughly combine wet and dry ingredients, the extra agitation develops the gluten in any flour you use, creating a tough, dense, chewy bread. It might also end up being gummy or crumbly, depending on how long you bake it.

Lack of sufficient vegetable oil. Always grease the skillet/pan with at least 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. PREHEAT over low-medium heat until it sizzles. Add cornbread batter.