Bread Stuffing for Turkey

A plain nineteenth-century bread dressing that relies on dried, grated crumbs rather than torn or cubed bread. The whole character of it depends on how dry the crumbs are and how little liquid goes in.

• "Light bread"This means ordinary yeast-risen white loaf, as distinct from cornbread or quick breads. A firm, plain sandwich loaf or a day-old white bread works; very open artisan crumb grates poorly.
• Drying the breadThe recipe gives no oven temperature or time. A low oven will dry thick slices through without browning them; they should be crisp and pale, not toasted, or the finished dressing tastes scorched.
• Grating versus cubingGrating fully dried slices on a coarse grater gives a fine, uniform crumb and a dense dressing. A food processor pulsed briefly does the same work. Expect a much tighter texture than the cubed bread stuffings common now.
• The minced porkA tablespoon of raw ground pork per cup of crumbs. The recipe does not specify the cut; fresh pork or finely minced fat salt pork would both answer, and salt pork adds salt, so taste before adding more.
• Moisten very slightlyThis is the hinge. Dried crumbs will absorb far more milk than they need, and the result turns to paste. Add milk a spoonful at a time until the crumbs just hold together when squeezed.
• SageDried rubbed sage was commonly paired with poultry in this period and is assertive. The recipe gives no quantity; start sparingly and adjust to taste.
• QuantityNo yield is given. Reckon on roughly a cup of crumbs per pound of bird, so a 14 lb turkey wants something on the order of 12-14 cups of crumbs and about three-quarters of a cup of minced pork.
• Cooking the pork throughBecause the pork goes in raw, dressing packed inside the cavity must reach 165F at its center, which usually means the bird overcooks first. Baking the dressing in a separate buttered dish, moistened with a little stock, is the safer and more even option.