Gwenyth Paltrow’s Classic Bread Stuffing

Ingredients

• 15 cups bread, cubed in 1/2-inch pieces (usually challah, whole-grain, or ciabatta)
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon butter, cubed
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 very large onion, very finely diced (about 2 1/2 cups)
• 2 stalks celery, very finely diced (roughly 1/2 cup)
• 2 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds
• 3/4 teaspoon celery seeds
• 2 generous tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 2 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh parsley, roughly chopped
• 2 1/2 cups high-quality vegetable stock, divided

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 300°F.
2. Spread cubed bread out on 2 baking sheets and bake until dried out but not browned, about 10 minutes.
3. While bread bakes, heat 1/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add onion, celery, fennel and celery seeds, rosemary, salt, and pepper and sweat mixture for 20 minutes, keeping heat low enough that the vegetables soften but don’t take on any color. Remove from heat, add parsley, and let mixture rest and cool for about 10 minutes.
4. Add bread cubes and 2 cups stock and stir to thoroughly combine. Let mixture rest for an hour to let flavors meld.
5. Increase oven temperature to 350°F.
6. Transfer stuffing to a baking dish, then pour remaining stock over the top and dot with butter. Bake until top is lightly browned, about 25 minutes.