Instead Of Using Stale Bread For Your Stuffing, Try This Classic French Pastry

There are a few dishes that a Thanksgiving table just isn't complete without. Turkey, for starters, is perhaps the most essential; mashed potatoes never fail to make an appearance; and cranberry sauce is usually somewhere on the table, either homemade or from a can. Homemade stuffing, too, is a Thanksgiving dish that's often a fan favorite — and rightfully so. That irresistible mix of toasted and soft pieces of bread goes great with a bit of gravy, and it just makes sense when paired with the other Thanksgiving staples. 

Stuffing is typically made with white sandwich bread or some sort of Italian bread, like ciabatta, but have you ever considered using a more alternative bread to base your stuffing with? We're not talking about marbled rye; we're talking about croissants. They may not be traditional, but croissants make for a stuffing that's rich, buttery, and totally delicious. These pastries make an excellent base for stuffing for a few reasons. First, they're full of butter, which means they're full of flavor. 

This is the kind of flavor you won't get from an everyday stuffing made with a generic white bread. And once you add your remaining stuffing ingredients, like celery, caramelized onions, and apples or carrots, you're in for a real treat. Beyond that, the croissant's texture gives this dish an even better mouthfeel. Those warm and flakey layers are the perfect vehicle for the stuffing's comforting flavors. Plus, the more delicate pieces of dough help provide you with that contrasting texture in a way that white bread simply can't.

To keep this stuffing an affordable one, we recommend using store-bought croissants because you can buy them in bulk. Plus, you'll find that they stay together once other ingredients are added to the dish and don't break apart as much as an artisanal croissant would. Even though flakiness is a desirable texture in a croissant stuffing, it's important that there's still a bit of denseness. In our ranking of 10 popular chain grocery store croissants, our favorite comes from Fresh Thyme Market. If you don't have this Midwestern store nearby, Costco's pastries came in a close second.

The method of making the stuffing doesn't differ all that much from your traditional homemade stuffing recipe. Once you've gathered your croissants, you'll begin by letting them dry out. Once they're dry, season them with melted butter and the savory herbs of your choice, and then add them to a baking tray. Bake them for 10 minutes at 325 degrees Fahrenheit, or until they are nice and toasty. While they're cooling off, cook up diced celery, carrots, and onions in melted butter until they're soft. You could also replace the carrots with diced apples or tart cranberries for a sweeter note. 

Then, add your broth of choice; in our autumn country bread stuffing, we use chicken broth, and we think that this would add a nice savory quality to this recipe, too, to contrast with the sweet croissants. While it simmers for about 10 minutes, butter a casserole dish and add the prepared croissants. Pour the vegetable and broth mix over the top, and then bake it all in the oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 to 15 minutes. Once the top has browned, your croissant stuffing is ready! Check out our 12 easy tricks for making the perfect homemade stuffing for more ideas to level up this classic dish.