Country Sage Bread Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On two rimmed baking sheets, arrange bread in a single layer. Bake until dry but not browned, about 14 minutes, tossing bread and rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer to a large bowl. (To store, let cool completely and keep in a resealable plastic bag at room temperature, up to 1 week.)
• In a large skillet, melt butter over medium. Add celery and onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften, about 8 minutes. Add sage and celery seed and cook 3 minutes more. Transfer to bowl with bread. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs and broth. Add to bread mixture and toss to combine.
• Reserve 4 cups stuffing for turkey. Spoon remaining stuffing into a buttered 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Cover with buttered foil; refrigerate until ready to bake. Bake at 350 degrees until warmed through, about 25 minutes.

Steps:

• Heat large saute pan over high heat. Add the sausage and cook until golden brown. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels. Add butter to the rendered fat in the pan, and then add the onions, celery and carrots and cook until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Remove the mixture from the heat and fold in the sage. Scrape the mixture into a large bowl and let cool slightly.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• When the vegetable mixture has cooled slightly, add the sausage to the bowl. Add the egg and bread and mix to coat. Add the chicken stock until the mixture is moist. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Butter a large baking dish and scrape the mixture into the dish. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Steps:

• The day before making the bread or early in the day, make the poolish (or biga) by placing 8 ounces of the flour, 7 ounces of room temperature water and the yeast in a large bowl and mixing it well with a wooden spoon. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let it stand for 2 to 3 hours at room temperature or in the refrigerator overnight. The poolish should double in volume.
• Add 1 pound of the flour and 12 ounces of room temperature water to the poolish and mix together well with your hands. It will be very sticky. Cover the bowl with the kitchen towel and let rest for 30 minutes.
• Sprinkle the salt over the surface of the dough and then fold the dough onto itself several times until the salt is incorporated. Cover the bowl with the kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 1 hour.
• Cover your hands with flour and sprinkle flour around the outside edge of the dough. Fold the dough onto itself 6 to 8 times. Cover the bowl with the kitchen towel and let rest for 1 hour.
• Fold the dough onto itself 6 to 8 times, dust a board generously with flour and pour the dough out onto the board.
• Divide the dough into two equal parts and turn and form each part into a ball, stretching the dough to form a smooth top. Sprinkle flour heavily in 2 separate bowls (there should be enough flour to keep the dough from sticking) and turn each ball of dough upside down into a bowl. Sprinkle the top of each ball with flour, cover each bowl with a kitchen towel and let it rise until doubled in size, about 45 to 60 minutes.
• Preheat an oven to 500 degrees F and line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
• Turn each ball of dough bottom-side up onto its own sheet pan and use a knife or razor blade to score a tic-tac-toe design on the top of each loaf.
• Place the loaves in the oven, immediately lower the temperature to 450 degrees F and bake for 30 minutes. (Do not open the oven door!) The loaves are done when they are golden brown and make a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom. Cool the loaves on a baking rack.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Melt margarine in a large nonstick skillet. Add celery and onion. Sauté until vegetables are very tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in thyme, sage, salt (optional), and pepper. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, place bread slices on a baking sheet and lightly toast on both sides, about 10 minutes per side (or you can use the toaster). Break bread into bite-size pieces. Mix in vegetable mixture and parsley. (At this point, stuffing can be made one day ahead, placed in a self-sealing container, and refrigerated.)
• In a medium saucepan, heat broth to a simmer. Place dressing mixture in a large mixing bowl. Add hot broth and stir until bread is evenly moistened, starting with 2½ cups broth and adding additional broth to reach desired consistency. Transfer mixture to a shallow baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake until lightly browned, another 15 to 20 minutes.

Steps:

• In a skillet melt the 1 tbsp butter,cook shallots 2-3 minutes or until translucent.
• Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl,stir together 2 cups of the flour,yeast and sage,set aside.
• Heat and stir water,butter,sugar and salt just until warm (120-130) and butter almost melts.
• Add shallots and water mixture to flour mixture.
• Beat with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds,scraping bowl.
• Beat on high speed 3 minutes.
• Stir in as much of the remaning flour as you can.
• Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface.
• Knead in enough of the remaning flour to make a moderately soft dough that is smooth and elastic.
• Shape into a ball.
• Place dough in a lightly greased bowl,turning once.
• Cover and let rise in warm place until double,about 1 hour.
• Punch dough down.
• Turn dough onto lightly floured surface.
• Divide in half.
• Cover,let rest 10 minutes.
• Grease 2 baking sheets,set adide.
• Shape each half of the dough into a 6 inch round loaf,tucking edged beneath.
• With a sharp knife make 3 wvwnly spaced 3 inch cuts toward center of rounds.
• Place rounds on prepared baking sheets.
• Cover and let rise in warm place until nearly double,30-40 minutes.
• Bake in 375 oven 40 minutes.
• Remove from pans and cool on racks.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the milk, sugar, shortening, celery seed, salt, sage, nutmeg, egg and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. , Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1-1/2 hours. , Punch dough down. Shape into a round loaf. Place in a greased 8-in. or 9-in. pie plate. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes. , Bake at 400° for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and bread sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from pie plate to a wire rack to cool.

Steps:

• 1. The bread should be completely stale. If not, spread the cubes on a baking sheet and put in a low oven (250 degrees) for about 1 hour to dry them out. (I think this light toasting gives the dressing a better flavor.)
• 2. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet. Add the sausage meat and brown it, breaking up meat into pieces about the size of a quarter. This need not be precise. Transfer meat from skillet to large bowl, using a slotted spoon. Add onion and celery to the skillet. After 1 minute, add the apples and cook 2 more minutes. Place in bowl with sausage.
• 3. Add bread cubes, parsley and sage to the bowl.
• 4. In a separate bowl, mix the eggs and stock with the salt and pepper. Pour this over the sausage mixture and gently toss all the ingredients. They should combine without mushing.
• 5. Generously butter a 16-inch baking pan (2 tablespoons). Spread the mixture in the pan and dot with more butter (4 tablespoons).
• 6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour. The top should have a nice golden brown crust.

Steps:

• Brush a large gratin dish with some of the oil.
• To cook the sausage, in a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook until it begins to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the onion and red and yellow bell peppers and saute until the onion is golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 45 to 60 seconds.
• To assemble the strata, place half of the bread cubes in the prepared gratin dish and top with half of the sausage mixture. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the grated cheese over the sausage mixture and top with the remaining bread cubes and sausage.
• Whisk together the eggs, milk, sage, and parsley in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the custard over the strata. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to 12 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Let the chilled strata stand at room temperature for 20 minutes.
• Bake the strata for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese; continue baking until the strata is puffed and golden brown, an additional 20 to 25 minutes. (If the top of the strata starts to get too brown, cover it with aluminum foil.) Remove to a rack to cool slightly. Serve hot or warm.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. In a small bowl, whisk the first 6 ingredients. Add beer and 3 tablespoons melted butter; stir just until moistened., Transfer to a greased 8x4-in. loaf pan. Drizzle with remaining butter. Bake 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the milk, sugar, shortening, celery seed, salt, sage, nutmeg, egg and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1-1/2 hours. Punch dough down. Shape into a round loaf. Place in a greased 8-in. or 9-in. pie plate. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees F for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pie plate to a wire rack to cool.

Steps:

• Saute the onions and celery in 4 tablespoons butter until soft.
• In a large bowl, toss the dried bread, sage, parsley, salt, and pepper.
• Add the onion mixture along with the remaining melted butter to the bread mixture.
• Beat the egg and add to the mixture.
• Toss until well mixed.
• Add the broth slowly while tossing mixture to moisten thoroughly, making sure to not make the stuffing soupy.
• Stuff the turkey or bake alongside in a greased casserole, in a 325 degree oven for 30 minutes.