How To Dry Bread Cubes for Stuffing

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Dry bread cubes are essential for stuffing and other recipes. Use this one-hour method to dry cubed bread in the oven or air dry for a few days until stale.

Why you'll love these methods

• You can turn fresh bread into stale bread cubes in one hour in the oven.
• Air-drying bread cubes is an alternative to oven-dried bread that happens naturally over a few days.
• Drying bread cubes in the oven ensures lightly crispy cubes with no moisture.
• You don't need oil or seasonings to dry out bread.
• You choose the bread variety to accommodate your stuffing recipe.

What is the best bread for stuffing?

You can turn any bread into bread cubes! Use a French loaf, sourdough or Italian bread, cornbread, focaccia bread, brioche, challah, or sandwich slices. Here's a tip: plain bread won't interfere with the flavors and seasonings in your chosen stuffing recipe.

Can I use a whole bread loaf or sliced bread?

You can use either! A whole, bakery-style bread loaf or baguette can be cut into bread cubes of any thickness. Most pre-sliced bread, such as sandwich bread, will yield ¼-inch cubes. Bread cubes of any size will make the best bread stuffing! The magic is in the drying, not the size.

Do I need stale bread to make bread cubes?

No. The beauty of drying out bread in the oven is that it replicates stale bread cubes in one hour. So, it's a convenient same-day option to use with bread stuffing or other recipes that require dry bread cubes.

How to slice bread into cubes

A whole bakery loaf allows you to decide on the thickness of your bread cubes. Use a serrated bread knife or chef's knife to slice the loaf into planks. I tend to cut ¾-inch thick planks and cubes for their hearty appearance in bread stuffing.

Work in stacks of 2 or 3 slices and turn the planks in the opposite direction to slice the bread crosswise at the same thickness as the planks for square cubes.

Uniformly sized bread cubes will ensure consistent drying and an appealing final presentation in your recipe.

How to dry out bread in the oven

1. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Slice the bread into cubes according to your desired size.
3. Spread the bread cubes on a baking sheet in a single layer.
4. Bake for one hour until they are dried and lightly crispy.
5. Cool the bread cubes to room temperature.

Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 7 days.

How to stale bread cubes

Making bread stale without an oven requires the bread cubes to be exposed to air over a given time frame.

1. Place bread cubes in a storage container with a partially open lid for airflow.
2. Store the container in a dry environment for 1 to 3 days until the bread cubes are firm with a slightly crisp texture, indicating that all moisture is gone.
3. Once dried, seal the lid on the container for up to 7 days or until ready to use.

Use dry bread cubes for stuffing and more

Use your perfectly dried bread as the base for Thanksgiving stuffing, as a crispy topping for soup, or as the base ingredient for your favorite bread pudding. Toss your perfectly toasted bread cubes into a breakfast casserole for a hearty mix-in. Before baking, toss the cubes in oil and herbs to make perfectly seasoned croutons.

Recipe tips

• Use any bread variety that fits your taste and recipe requirements. Feel free to experiment!
• One 16-ounce bakery-style bread loaf cut into ¾-inch cubes yields about 12 cups fresh and yields 8 cups when baked.
• Instead of cutting the bread into cubes, you can tear it into pieces for a more rustic look.
• I recommend leaving the crust on bread cubes for stuffing to enhance the visual appeal, exciting texture, and delicious flavor.

More holiday recipe how-to's

• How To Make French Bread
• How to Cook a Spiral Ham
• How to Cook a Turkey Breast
• How To Make Crostini
• How to Make a Charcuterie Board
• How To Cook New York Strip Steak
• How To Cook King Crab Legs
• How To Make Gravy Without Drippings

📖 Recipe