Hello there,

With American Thanksgiving right around the corner, I wanted to share a stuffing recipe with you. I originally developed it for The Art of Gluten-Free Bread, but it ultimately landed on the cutting-room floor as we ran out of space. It feels fitting to bring it to you now.

The recipe was written for the new challah featured in the book, but this year I’m planning to make it with the Chestnut Cranberry Sourdough Bread instead - the method works beautifully with either. It’s a wonderfully simple stuffing: leeks, celery, shallot, mushrooms, and herbs tossed with bread, moistened with broth, and basted with butter. You can watch the whole process in a reel I put together.

Some news about the book! The Art of Gluten-Free Bread has made it into a few holiday gift guides this season. Here it is in The New York Times, CAP Beauty’s latest newsletter, The Strategist’s Best Cookbooks to Gift This Year, Dinner Love Story’s Cookbook Gift Guide, and more. You can also listen my interview with David Tamarkin for the King Arthur Baking Podcast.

I’ve already started working on a couple of new cookies for the holiday season, and I can’t wait to share them with you in the coming weeks.

Thank you, truly, for being here. Your support, enthusiasm, and curiosity mean more than I can say. I’m always grateful for this community and for the chance to share my kitchen with you.

With love,

Aran

Challah Stuffing with Mushrooms and Leeks

This stuffing with leeks, celery, and mushrooms is one of our Thanksgiving dinner mainstays. I have used different types of bread for it, such as baguettes, corn bread, or seedy sourdough boules. It becomes moist and custard-like with the addition of the eggs. If you want to make this egg-free, omit them and increase the stock by 85 grams. It won’t be as fluffy, but it will be equally delicious.

Serves 10 to 12

1 Challah (page 000), cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes

40 grams extra-virgin olive oil

2 large leeks, white and light-green parts only, cut lengthwise and sliced into small pieces

1 large shallot, finely minced

3 large celery stalks, cut into small pieces

2 teaspoons (8 g) kosher salt

1 teaspoon (4 g) freshly ground black pepper

225 grams mushrooms (cremini, chanterelle, oyster), thinly sliced

4 thyme sprigs, leaves picked

1 bunch of Italian parsley, finely chopped

450 grams chicken or vegetable stock

2 large eggs, lightly whisked

85 grams unsalted butter or vegan butter, melted, plus more for the pan

Make challah croutons. Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Spread the diced challah on a sheet pan (use two if the pan seems too crowded). Toast the croutons until dry but not too browned or toasted, about 25 to 30 minutes. (You can make the croutons up to 3 days in advance and keep them in an airtight container.)

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Generously butter a 9-by-13-inch (23 by 33 cm) baking dish.

Sauté all the vegetables. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, leeks, shallot, celery, 1 teaspoon (4 g) of the salt, and 1/2 teaspoon (2 g) of the pepper. Stir and cook the vegetables until soft but not browned, about 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms and thyme leaves and cook until they are softened and begin to lightly caramelize, about 10 minutes. If your mushrooms release a lot of water, increase the heat to high and cook until the pan is dry. Season with the remaining 1 teaspoon (4 g) salt and 1/2 teaspoon (2 g) pepper. Stir in the chopped parsley and remove the pan from the heat.

Assemble the stuffing. In a medium bowl, whisk the stock and eggs together. Scatter the challah croutons and the sautéed vegetables in the prepared pan, then pour the stock and egg mixture over them. Lightly press everything down.

Bake the stuffing. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and drizzle the melted butter over the stuffing. Increase the oven temperature to 425°F (220°C) and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the edges of the stuffing are crispy and browned. Serve immediately.