Stovetop-Style Stuffing, Inspired by Stove Top
The boxed classic made from scratch: white and whole wheat bread cut into eraser-size crumbs and dried in the oven, then stirred into a simmering pot of broth, butter, dried onion, celery and poultry seasoning, covered and left to stand 5 minutes. Inspired by, not official.
Inspired by Stove Top. Not an official Kraft Heinz recipe: the company's formula is its own, and nothing here claims to reproduce it. Stove Top was launched by General Foods in 1972 (Wikipedia:). Purdue University says home economist Ruth Siems (1931 to 2005), a 1953 Purdue graduate working in General Foods' research and development, was on the team asked in 1971 to create an instant stuffing, and found that crumb size was the key: dried, seasoned crumbs "about the size of a pencil eraser" that fluff up with boiling water and butter. Her name is first of four on US Patent 3,870,803, "Instant stuffing mix", filed July 16, 1971 and granted March 11, 1975, assigned to General Foods. The patent's first example uses mostly white bread crumb with some whole wheat crumb, dehydrated onion and celery and chicken seasoning, simmered about 8 minutes in water with butter, then stirred in, covered and left to stand about 5 minutes. Whether Siems "invented" it is DISPUTED (see Rules). Wikipedia cites a 2005 report that about 60 million boxes are sold at Thanksgiving.
🇺🇸 This one is American
The boxed classic made from scratch: white and whole wheat bread cut into eraser-size crumbs and dried in the oven, then stirred into a simmering pot of broth, butter, dried onion, celery and poultry seasoning, covered and left to stand 5 minutes. Inspired by, not official.
🇬🇧 The original
The English original is sage and onion bound with breadcrumbs and butter, cooked inside the bird or in a dish beside it. See the Sage and Onion Stuffing (Mrs Beeton, 1861) recipe.
Why it works the kitchen science
Crumb size
Siems found that crumbs about the size of a pencil eraser rehydrate evenly in 5 minutes; the patent says bigger pieces hydrate unevenly and finer ones turn pasty.
A little whole wheat
The patent explains that white crumb alone gets sticky when wet, and a share of whole wheat crumb keeps the pieces separate.
Step by step
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 300°F. Cut the bread, crusts and all, into 1/4-inch cubes, about the size of a pencil eraser.
- Step 2
Spread the cubes on two rimmed baking sheets and bake 25 to 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes and swapping the sheets halfway, until completely dry and crisp and just barely golden. Cool 5 minutes.
- Step 3
In a 2-quart saucepan, combine the broth, butter, dried onion, celery, poultry seasoning, parsley and white pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat and simmer 8 minutes, until the celery is tender.
- Step 4
Taste the liquid and add salt if needed; it should taste a little too salty, since the bread will soak it up.
- Step 5
Take the pan off the heat, stir in the dried crumbs until every piece is moistened, cover and let stand 5 minutes.
- Step 6
Fluff with a fork and serve hot.
Stovetop-Style Stuffing, Inspired by Stove Top
Serves 6 · about 3 1/2 cups · 1 hr total
Crumbs
- 8 slices white sandwich bread (about 7 oz)
- 2 slices whole wheat sandwich bread (about 2 oz)
Flavor pot
- 1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp dried minced onion
- 1/3 cup finely minced celery
- 1 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt, to taste
Method
- Heat the oven to 300°F. Cut the bread, crusts and all, into 1/4-inch cubes, about the size of a pencil eraser.
- Spread the cubes on two rimmed baking sheets and bake 25 to 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes and swapping the sheets halfway, until completely dry and crisp and just barely golden. Cool 5 minutes.
- In a 2-quart saucepan, combine the broth, butter, dried onion, celery, poultry seasoning, parsley and white pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat and simmer 8 minutes, until the celery is tender.
- Taste the liquid and add salt if needed; it should taste a little too salty, since the bread will soak it up.
- Take the pan off the heat, stir in the dried crumbs until every piece is moistened, cover and let stand 5 minutes.
- Fluff with a fork and serve hot.
Our own recipe, built from the published patent: US Patent 3,870,803 (Siems, Capossela, Halligan and Wyss, General Foods, 1975), Example I and the preparation method,, and the crumb size Purdue describes. The patent's mix is roughly 87 percent white bread crumb to 13 percent whole wheat crumb by weight; we use 8 slices of white to 2 slices of whole wheat. The patent prepares one package with water and 4 tbsp butter; we use broth for flavor in place of the patent's flavor packet. Every amount, the drying temperature and the timings are ours. This is a home recipe inspired by the product, not the product's formula. Google Patents. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (3)
Tips
- The dried crumbs keep in an airtight jar at room temperature for about a week if they are fully dry.
- For a cornbread version (the patent has one), dry 9 oz of cornbread the same way in place of the sandwich bread.
- Use this as a topping for a chicken casserole: spread the finished stuffing over and bake at 375°F until golden.
- Keep any name, logo or box design of the brand out of images.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Ruth Siems invented Stove Top. Disputed: she is first on the patent and her obituaries and Purdue credit her; Wikipedia says the idea came from marketing (a claim tagged "citation needed"), and Siems herself reportedly said in 1991 that marketing had the idea and R&D had to make it work.
- Stove Top launched in 1972. Disputed: Wikipedia and Purdue say 1972; one weaker source says it was test-marketed in 1972 and launched in 1973.
- It was the first instant stuffing. Folklore: one article notes Stove Top was an innovator in instant stuffing but not the first (search summary only).
- Stove Top is made with whole wheat bread. Folklore as worded: the patent includes whole wheat crumb in its examples; we did not check the current box's ingredient list.
Every other stuffing
Sage and Onion Stuffing (Mrs Beeton, 1861)
The Victorian English stuffing for goose, duck and pork: onions simmered until mild, chopped fine with fresh sage, worked together with bread crumbs, butter and an egg yolk, and baked in its own dish until crisp on top.
Chestnut and Pork Stuffing (Farce aux Marrons)
Whole chestnuts simmered in broth until just tender, folded into seasoned ground pork with shallots, thyme and a splash of Cognac, and baked in its own dish: the classic French stuffing for a Christmas turkey.
Artusi's Roast Chicken with Sausage and Chestnut Stuffing (1891)
Pellegrino Artusi's family stuffing of Italian sausage, chicken liver, roasted chestnuts, dried mushrooms and nutmeg, bound with egg and a little bread soaked in broth, packed into a whole chicken and roasted until the stuffing itself reads 165°F.
Lebanese Hashweh (Spiced Rice and Beef Stuffing)
Ground beef and onion browned in olive oil, seasoned with Lebanese seven-spice, cooked with basmati rice in chicken broth and finished with toasted pine nuts and parsley: served on its own or as a stuffing for turkey.
Italian-American Sausage and Fennel Stuffing
Oven-dried white bread cubes tossed with browned sweet Italian sausage, onion and fennel cooked in butter, fresh thyme, marjoram and sage, chicken broth and eggs, baked covered and then uncovered until golden.
Chinese-American Sticky Rice Stuffing
Soaked and steamed glutinous rice tossed with lap cheong (sweet Chinese sausage), onion and caramelized shiitake, seasoned with light and dark soy sauce and chicken stock, then roasted in a cast-iron skillet until the top and bottom turn crisp.
New England Sage Bread Stuffing
Dried French bread cubes tossed with onion and celery cooked in butter, sage, thyme, marjoram and parsley, chicken broth and eggs, baked covered until fragrant and then uncovered until a golden crust forms.
Southern Cornbread Dressing
A pan of cornbread baked, crumbled while hot and mixed with sausage, onion, bell pepper and celery, poultry seasoning, broth, milk and eggs, then baked in ridges with butter brushed on top until crisp outside and almost creamy inside.
New Orleans Oyster Dressing (Leah Chase)
Leah Chase's holiday dressing: day-old bread soaked in oyster liquor, browned ground beef and the Creole trinity cooked in butter, chopped Gulf oysters, thyme and cayenne, bound with egg and baked under seasoned bread crumbs.
Wild Rice Dressing (Minnesota)
Nutty wild rice cooked in broth, mixed with toasted bread crumbs, onion, celery, garlic, sage and thyme and a light custard of cream, eggs and the rice's own cooking liquid, baked covered until set.
Pennsylvania Dutch Potato Filling
Half mashed potatoes, half stuffing: boiled potatoes beaten with milk, eggs and parsley, mixed with onion and celery cooked in butter and buttery toasted bread cubes, and baked until crusty on top.
Weeknight Crispy Skillet Stuffing
A half-size, one-skillet stuffing for any night: baguette cubes toasted in a hot oven, soaked in broth and egg with browned onion, celery, sage and thyme, crisped on the stove and finished in the oven with a golden crust on top and bottom.
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