Saturday, November 16, 2013

Grain Free Stuffing Bread Cubes -- To Use In Your Favorite Stuffing Recipe

This is the stuffing I made with these for last year's Thanksgiving

This afternoon I made a batch of my Grain Free Stuffing Bread Cubes. I used these last year to make my Thanksgiving stuffing and it turned out great (it was my first wheat free Thanksgiving). I tweaked it just a tad this year. It is simple to make and can be made days ahead of time and then sealed tightly in a Ziploc-type bag to keep crisp until you are ready to use them to make your Thanksgiving stuffing. This recipe makes a grain free equivalent of "seasoned stuffing cubes" that you normally buy at the store (I used Pepperidge Farm or Arnold in the past). You simply substitute these grain free stuffing cubes in your favorite stuffing recipe. It makes about 7 cups of oven dried bread cubes, which is the equivalent to about 1 bag of commercial stuffing mix which normally holds about 6 cups. It is measured after oven drying to get 7 cups (before drying it measures about 10 cups of fresh bread cubes). Tomorrow I will post a stuffing recipe using them that I usually make (sometimes with and sometimes without sausage). Stuffing (or dressing) is one of those dishes where there are a zillion different versions -- and is really a matter of personal preference and to some extent where you are from that determines the style and what you put in it. People tend to be very opinionated about what to put in it and what NOT to put into their stuffing. Some prefer to cook it in the bird and others in a casserole dish. I have made it both ways and frequently make it both ways (in and out of the bird) because it is usually one of those dishes that you can never have too much of. I have not yet tried cooking the grain free stuffing inside the bird -- last year I made both regular stuffing (for the family) and grain free for me. Everything was the same except for the bread cubes used. I hope you enjoy using this recipe as an alternative to the traditional stuffing cubes and enjoy making your favorite stuffing recipe with these. I snapped a few photos of the grain free stuffing bread cubes below as well as the recipe. Enjoy!

Before oven drying...
Here is the dough
Dough has been patted out with a rubber spatula - ready for the oven
Stuffing bread is fresh out of the oven
Cooling before cutting into cubes
Oven dried and ready to be used in your favorite stuffing recipe!

Grain Free "Stuffing" Bread Cubes
Makes 6 to 7 cups toasted bread cubes

Ingredients:

1/4 cup organic coconut flour
1 cup blanched almond flour
2 cups organic ground golden flax seed
4 teaspoons baking powder (aluminum free)
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
6 eggs (I used organic cage free)
1 cup water
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  In a medium sized bowl, mix all dry ingredients together; add eggs, water, vinegar and oil and mix well.  Dough will be thick and a bit sticky and slightly springy feeling.  Let the dough sit for about 5 minutes while you prepare the baking pan.  Line a baking pan or cookie sheet with non-stick foil lightly brushed with oil (or parchment paper sprayed or brushed with oil).  Place ball of dough in the center of the pan and begin pressing the dough outward using a lightly oiled rubber spatula to a thickness of 1/4 to 1/2 inches thick.  Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until the bread is lightly golden and feels done when pressed near the center. This makes a 1/2 to 3/4-inch thick "stuffing bread".  

Remove bread from oven and transfer to a rack; let cool for approximately 10-15 minutes.  Lower oven temperature to 300 degrees F.  Place cooled bread on a cutting board and cut into approximate 1/2-inch cubes; place cubes back on baking sheet and return to 300 degree oven and bake for approximately 30-40 minutes, or until cubes are dried and crisp (when done, cubes should be hard when pinched or gently squeezed).  When bread cubes are thoroughly dry, hard and toasty, remove from oven and let cool completely. Store in a tightly covered container or Ziploc-type bag to keep moisture out until ready to use.  Makes approximately 6 to 7 cups of toasted dried bread cubes.  Use in your favorite stuffing recipe. 


          

33 comments:

Michele said...

This is awesome! Thank you! So many wheat free options use corn!

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Thanks, Michele! I know...I don't use corn any more either -- hope you enjoy it! :-)

Anonymous said...

This is fantastic! Thanks so much for sharing it, I think stuffing is one of the best parts of the big meal and the one part I would miss the most but not anymore. I have already tried your cranberry sauce and it is so good. Made my second batch yesterday, I've been enjoying it mixed with my Greek gods yogurt for breakfast, super yummy and tart just the way I prefer my cranberry sauce. You really are a talent. Thanks again. Maria

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Maria - thanks for the kind comments! I'm so glad you are enjoying the cranberry sauce -- it really is good mixed into Greek Gods yogurt, isn't it! I hope you enjoy using the stuffing cubes, too. :-)

Kathy said...

Last year was my first wheat-free Thanksgiving and I did not fix our traditional stuffing so my family (all have gone WF) and I really missed it! I'm excited now because this recipe to replace the Pepperidge Farm Stuffing means we can enjoy stuffing again :) I love your blog (I've only known about it for a couple of months) and am so thankful you post on a regular basis. This has become my "go-to" site while I continue to learn how to cook wheat-free, grain-free & corn-free.

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Thanks, Kathy! I'm glad you enjoy my blog and hope you and your family enjoy returning stuffing to your Thanksgiving table! :-)

Patricia said...

You clever girl you! Great!

Maureen | Orgasmic Chef said...

My next door neighbor is coming to Thanksgiving and she can't eat gluten - you're my savior on this.

Unknown said...

Thank you for all the wonderful recipes you post. I have tried a few and have enjoyed them. I was wondering if your could crush these and use them for bread crumbs?

CyberSis said...

Hi GGC,

How wonderful to have real stuffing again! My Mom always used Pepperidge Farm herb stuffing. I love the spicing, but was never able to quite duplicate it whenever I tried making it from scratch. My Grandma made wonderful stuffing (better than Pep Farm) but, alas, her secret remains a mystery. After searching through all her cookbooks and handwritten notes, it was nowhere to be found!

After a couple of soggy batches of from-scratch stuffing, I caught on to at least one secret, I think ... thoroughly (that is, really, really, *Really*) drying out the bread cubes, as you've indicated in your directions.

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Thanks, Patricia! :-)

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Tami -- I have never used these as bread crumbs before, but you probably could. Depending on what you are trying to bread, I have used a mixture of almond flour, ground golden flax and Parmesan with herbs, spices, etc. The only thing about using these as breading would be they are already browned somewhat by baking and then drying out in the oven. If you were going to cook them very long with what you breaded them with, it might get too dark or burn more easily. Let me know if I can help you with suggesting a breading mixture for a specific food you are trying to bread. Glad you are enjoying the recipes. Thanks! :-)

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi CyberSis -- too bad about not being able to find your grandmother's stuffing recipe. I bet it really was better than Pepperidge Farm. I know many homemade stuffing recipes used stale or day old plain unseasoned bread, biscuits, cornbread, etc. and then seasoning was just added to the actual stuffing recipe. You are right about thoroughly drying out the bread though. It's basically crispy "croutons". These could also be dried for a longer period of time at a lower temp, too. Well...guess it is time for me to think about going to sleep for the night -- my alarm goes off in 6 hours! :-)

Lesley said...

This recipe is wonderful! I was in a dilemma over what to use for my stuffing this year since it's my first year of wheat & gluten free.
Do you think liquid egg substitute such as egg beaters would work for the eggs, or egg whites?

ally said...

I made your stuffing last year and didn't even offer another option, and EVERYONE at the table luuuuved it! It was a bit of a chore to make start to finish on Thanksgiving but certainly doable...this year I will start early.
Thanks again GG! - ally

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Ally -- so glad everyone enjoyed it! You are right, it is a lot to do from start to finish on Thanksgiving along with all the other items. I would suggest, maybe up to a few days before hand making the bread cubes and toasting them until dried well...cooling completely and then sealing in a Ziploc-type bag (removing as much air as possible to keep them crisp). On the night before Thanksgiving, I usually saute my veggies (celery, onion and/or sausage, etc.) and cover it in a bowl and put in the fridge. That way on Thanksgiving morning you simply put it all together and bake it. It will make your life MUCH easier. So glad you enjoyed the stuffing -- that made my day! :-)

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Lesley -- Yes, most definitely you could substitute egg whites or Egg Beaters for the eggs -- it would work the same. I hope you enjoy it. To make it easier on Thanksgiving morning, you can make the bread cubes and oven dry them ahead of time and store them in an airtight container or Ziploc bag and just use them like you would a packages stuffing mix. I hope you enjoy your first wheat/grain free Thanksgiving. This will be my 2nd! :-)

Unknown said...

Thank you so much Gourmet Girl! This year we had gluten-free, grain-free stuffing for Thanksgiving. I made the bread cubes on Sunday before Thanksgiving. I put them in tupperware-like containers. Made my traditional stuffing recipe with them and even my son said "Mom, the stuffing's really good." This was great. I can't thank you enough for sharing your recipes with us.

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Barbara! I am so glad you enjoyed the stuffing (bread cubes)...but your son saying your stuffing was "really good" makes my day -- I am thrilled that you were able to use the bread cubes to make YOUR traditional stuffing recipe. At the holiday time, so much of the food we eat is based on "tradition", often handed down from generations...its so much more than just about food. The fact that you were able to continue your tradition in a grain free way is outstanding! That is what it is all about. Your passing along your son's comments is all the thanks I could ever want! Thank you! :-)

Gwen L said...

Back to the bread crumbs question — I'm looking for non-wheat, lower carb bread crumbs for my scalloped oyster recipe. The bread crumbs are mixed with melted butter for a layer between oysters/cream layers. I would think these cubes (without as many spices) easily could be dried and ground up. What do you think?

Barbara Chase said...

Thanks for the recipe! I am about to make and one thing is missing for me - size of pan you used! In order to get the right thickness know size would take out the guesswork for me.

Thanks! I'll report back after Thanksgiving!

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Barbara,

I believe it was a around 15 x 21 or close -- either way, I didn't fill up the entire sheet. Just spread your dough out to about 1/2-inch thickness or a little thinner and it should work just fine. :-)

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Gwen,

Yes, I think they should work just fine! :-)

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Gwen,

Yes, I think they should work just fine! :-)

Jenny D said...

Thanks to winter storm Bella, I'm a day early on getting ready for turkey day. Excited to make this!

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Jenny D,

I hope you enjoy it! :-)

Unknown said...

is there anything that can be substituted for the flax? I'm allergic to it. :(

Anonymous said...

Can I use anything else instead of flax ?

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Anonymous,

You could try using ground chia seeds in place of the flax. 😀

Kim Hogan said...

BEST STUFFING EVER!!!!!

Diane said...

I have mostly made Stove Top Stuffing for the last 40 years. The few times I've tried to make a stuffing from dried cubes, it turned out soggy and mushy. Would you mind sharing your recipe for the stuffing once you have the cubes made? Thanks!!

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Yes. Here it is. Follow this link. http://www.gourmetgirlcooks.com/2013/11/herbed-grain-free-stuffing-wheat-free.html?m=1

Vickie and Jim said...

HELP!!!! I know this post is old but I hope you still check them. I made your cubes for the first time this past Thanksgiving and everyone LOVED them in my stuffing. I have a question. I'm cooking the cubes now but I'm not going to make the stuffing until Christmas eve night. I have an airtight container but need to know whether I should refrigerate them.