Recipe: Seasoned Stuffing Bread (Herb Seasoned Stuffing Substitute, Gloria Pitzer)

PEPPER-ITCH ARM SEASONED STUFFING BREAD WITH USES

"This is a heavy well-seasoned bread that is not meant to be eaten with butter like ordinary bread. After it is completely baked and cooked, slice it 1/2-inch thick, letting it dry in single layers on cookie sheets until dry enough to crumble between your fingers. Then store it in plastic bags in the freezer up to a year or in tightly covered containers as you would bread crumbs/crumbles."

1/3 cup sugar
2 cups bottled wheat germ
3 cups self-rising flour
1 egg, well beaten
1 (12 ounce) can light beer
1 cup finely diced celery
1 cup diced fresh white onion
1 tablespoon rubbed sage
1 tablespoon dill seeds
1 tablespoon butter, softened

Mix all ingredients except butter in large mixing bowl to smooth batter, add each ingredient just as listed. Pour into greased and floured 9-inch bread loaf pan, not Pyrex.

Bake in a preheated 375 degree F oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes. After an hour of baking, loosely cover top of bread with foil to keep from overbrowning. As soon as bread is out of oven, wipe top crust with 1 tablespoon soft margarine or butter. Cool 1 hour.

Cut into 1/2-inch slices. (If you prefer stuffing cubes, dice the bread before drying in the oven.) Dry on cookie sheets in single layer in 200 degrees F oven, turning slices often, until bread is brittle enough to crumble. Crumble between your fingers (or leave bread cubes whole). Then store it in plastic bags in the freezer up to a year or in tightly covered containers as you would bread crumbs or stuffing cubes or crumbles."

TO USE STUFFING BREAD:

SUBSTITUTE FOR HERB-SEASONED STUFFING MIX:
Use stuffing bread cubes or crumbles in any recipe calling for dry herb-seasoned stuffing mix.

STUFFING CASSEROLE:
Mix 8 cups of stuffing bread crumbles or cubes with 1 envelope dry onion soup mix, 1 cup raisins and 1 cup chopped walnuts. Add 1 cup applesauce, 1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted and 1/2 cup chicken broth or water. Bake in a greased 2 quart baking dish, covered for about 30 minutes.

SAUSAGE STUFFING CASSEROLE:
Prepare the above mixture for the Stuffing Casserole. Brown 1 pound bulk sausage in a skillet, crumbling well, until well cooked. Stir sausage and drippings into the stuffing mixture before baking it or you may also add 1 cup diced celery or peeled/chopped apple to the stuffing mixture before baking.

APPLE-STUFFING SQUARES:
Combine 1 recipe of stuffing bread crumbles or cubes, with 1 (21 oz.) can apple pie filling, 2 well beaten eggs and a 10 oz. can cream of celery soup. Spread in well greased 2x9x2-inch baking dish. Spray one side of a sheet of foil with Pam and place, Pam-side down, on mixture, sealing edges. Bake at 375 degrees F. about 30-35 minutes. Cool about 10 minutes before cutting into squares to serve with meat or poultry. Will serve 6-8 adequately. Leftovers freeze well up to 6 months.

Adapted from source: Gloria Pitzer's Better Cookery Cookbook