Momma's Cornbread Dressing
Best cornbread dressing Ive ever had. I posted it on Facebook and several of my friends made it in 2011 and had nothing but great things to say. Im posting it here mainly so I can use the grocery list functions.
Best cornbread dressing Ive ever had. I posted it on Facebook and several of my friends made it in 2011 and had nothing but great things to say. Im posting it here mainly so I can use the grocery list functions.
- 3 large eggs lightly beaten
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper fresh ground
- 6 cups yellow cornbread crumbled (not sweet cornbread)
- 7 slices white bread dried (left out overnight) crumbled
- 1/2 large white onion diced
- 3 teaspoons poultry seasoning
- 1/2 stick butter sub margarine or oleo
- 1 can cream of chicken soup campbells
- 2 cans chicken broth
- 6 stalks celery chopped with strings removed(if desired)
- 3 boiled eggs whites only, chopped(optional)
- Carbohydrate 34.9561391666667 g
- Cholesterol 145.739583333333 mg
- Fat 15.1003266666667 g
- Fiber 2.05970840020974 g
- Protein 9.62409166666667 g
- Saturated Fat 5.47460916666667 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (222g)
- Sodium 1068.25525 mg
- Sugar 32.8964307664569 g
- Trans Fat 1.88816333333333 g
- Calories 315 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat Oven to 375°.
- Sauté the onions and celery in the butter until the onions are mostly clear.
- In a 4 quart mixing bowl add cornbread, crumbled white bread, black pepper, eggs, poultry seasoning, and cream of mushroom soup. Lightly mix, add sautéed mixture and one can of chicken booth and mix thoroughly in a folding fashion by hand or with a wooden spoon. Do not use a mixer!
- Add enough of the second can of chicken broth to make a medium thick batter (adding too much will add to the cooking time and/or make your dressing more watery). This step is to a persons taste as my Mom likes her dressing a lot more moist than most, and I guess I do too.
- Pour into a 9x13 dish and bake in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes or until top is browned and "not doughy inside." (Never figured out exactly how to test "not doughy inside." But I kinda shake the pan until it doesn't giggle much in the middle.) Let stand for 30-60 minutes.
Operating under the constraint of utilizing stale bread without wasting resources requires understanding how starches absorb liquid. When dry white bread and unsweetened yellow cornbread combine with chicken broth, gelatin molecules from the broth swell and trap free moisture within the crumb matrix. This creates a cohesive suspension rather than a soggy mixture. Fat from the half stick of butter coats the starch granules, slowing down moisture absorption so the bread maintains structural integrity during folding.
Starch Hydration and Poultry Seasoning Dynamics
Sage, thyme, and other aromatics found in poultry seasoning contain essential oils that are fat-soluble. Sauteing the diced white onions and celery in butter before mixing extracts these volatile flavor compounds into the lipids, distributing them evenly throughout the 4-quart mixing bowl. Folding the ingredients by hand with a wooden spoon instead of using an electric mixer preserves the coarse crumb structure, preventing the starches from releasing too much amylose and turning the batter into a paste.
Thermal Transfer and Protein Coagulation
Baking at 375 degrees Fahrenheit initiates two critical thermal reactions. First, eggs undergo protein coagulation, setting the structure as internal temperatures rise. Second, surface carbohydrates undergo Maillard browning to develop a savory crust. Achieving this balance requires monitoring the center consistency; shaking the 9x13 dish provides a reliable visual cue when the middle stops jiggling and the interior sets completely.
