Berg's Classic Stuffing

1. The night before you plan on preparing the stuffing, slice the bread and pick into small bite-size pieces. Spread into one layer on a baking sheet or two and leave out on the counter overnight to stale.
2. To prepare the stuffing, lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Melt the butter in a large pan over medium-low heat and add in the onion and celery. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and very lightly golden around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, add the stale bread to a large bowl along with the sage. When the vegetables are tender, scrape into the bowl of bread and mix well to combine. Set aside to cool slightly.
4. Meanwhile, if adding meat to your stuffing, place the pan back onto the heat and turn it up to medium. For the sausage, add the meat to the pan and break up into crumbles with the back of a spoon. Cook until golden and cooked through. If using bacon, chop into bite-size pieces and cook until crisp. Add the meat to the bowl with the bread mixture and allow to cool slightly.
5. Beat together the egg and chicken broth and pour over the bread mixture, stirring well to combine. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish and spread into an even layer, being careful not to press the mixture down too much as that will give you a very dense stuffing.
6. At this point, you can bake the stuffing immediately or cover the pan with plastic and store in the fridge for up to 1 day.
7. To bake the stuffing, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
8. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until golden and crisp, 15 to 20 minutes. If you are making a big holiday feast and your oven is pulling double duty, you can bake this stuffing at any temperature between 325 degrees F and 425 degrees F, but the timing will need to be adjusted, more for a lower temperature, less for a higher.

Stuffing Bread:

1. In a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the flour, cornmeal, yeast, sugar, celery salt, pepper, poultry seasoning and onion powder and stir well to combine. Make a well in the center and pour in the water, melted butter and eggs. Stir to combine, then knead until the dough is soft and springy and no longer sticky, 5 to 7 minutes.
2. Transfer the dough to a large lightly greased bowl, cover with a piece of plastic wrap or a clean dish towel and set aside in a warm spot until doubled in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
3. Lightly grease two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray. Punch the risen dough down, turn out onto a work surface, and divide it in half. Press each half of dough into a rough rectangle approximately 9 inches wide. With the 9-inch side towards you, roll the dough up into a log and pinch the seam closed. Transfer each log of dough into a prepared pan and loosely cover with a clean dish towel. Place back into the warm spot until the dough rises about 1 inch over the top of the pan, about 1 hour.
4. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
5. Bake the risen loaves, tenting with aluminum foil if the tops are browning too much, until the internal temp reaches 190 degrees F, 35 to 40 minutes. Allow the loaves to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.