Wild Mushroom Dressing

Wild Mushroom Dressing has hearty cubes of bread tossed with a variety of wild mushrooms, shallots, garlic, and herbs. It bakes up crisp and crunchy on top and soft and tender on the bottom with flecks of earthy mushrooms throughout.

A Delicious Mushroom and Bread Dressing

This Wild Mushroom Dressing would be a perfect side dish served alongside your Thanksgiving turkey, Christmas prime rib, or holiday ham.

Hearty, dense bread is cut into large chunks, then set out to dry overnight. The following day, combine the bread with a variety of chopped mushrooms that have been sauteed with shallots and garlic, plus a variety of seasonings.

Place the bread and mushrooms in a buttered baking dish, then pour in a egg custard that is flavored with Parmesan cheese. This custard sinks to the bottom and soaks in – almost like savory bread pudding.

But this Wild Mushroom Dressing bakes up soft on the bottom, and super crunchy and golden on top – and every bite is loaded with earthy mushroom flavor.

• The flavors of the toasted and buttery bread and the earthy mushrooms are delectable.
• This dressing has a variety of textures – crispy and crunchy on top, bits of roasted mushrooms throughout, and soft eggy bread underneath.
• This recipe can easily be doubled to feed a larger crowd or cut the quantities in half for a smaller amount.

• Wild Mushrooms – Choose any variety of wild mushrooms available at your local supermarket. Our market had a great selection including: Shiitake, Oyster, King Oyster, Hen of the Woods, Chicken of the Woods, Bunapi, Maitake, Bunapi Champignon, Porcini (baby Bella), Morel, and button. We also bought some dry Shiitake and Porcini mushrooms which we ground up to a powder using a spice grinder – this step is optional but adds great flavor.
• Shallots – A sweet yellow onion can be used instead, but we followed the original recipe ingredients and liked the mild oniony flavor of the shallots.
• Garlic – Fresh garlic will give this dish the best flavor.
• Spices and Herbs – Fresh sage, dry thyme, sea or kosher salt, and black pepper.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Unsalted Butter – Although the original recipe only called for olive oil, we always like to mix butter and olive oil for the best flavor.
• Bread – Choose a dense bread such as brioche, sourdough, hearty country loaf, etc. Ideally, you want to buy an unsliced loaf so you can cut the bread into large cubes.
• Eggs – You add both whole eggs and egg yolks to the custard
• Heavy Cream
• Whole Milk
• Parmesan Cheese

1. Cut the crusts from the loaves of bread, then cut bread into 1 to 2-inch cubes. Place the cubes on sheet tray and let sit uncovered at room temperature for a day or two to dry.
2. Cook fresh mushrooms in a dry sauté pan. (It’s best to do this in batches so they don’t steam as they cook.) Add butter, olive oil, shallots, and garlic.
3. Grind the dry mushrooms into a powder using a spice/coffee grinder. Stir into the mushroom mixture along with the seasonings.
4. Mix custard by combining eggs, egg yolks, heavy cream, whole milk, and Parmesan cheese.
5. Butter a 9x13x3-inch deep casserole/baking dish.
6. Pour stale bread cubes in the dish along with cooked mushroom mixture. Toss to intersperse the mushrooms throughout the bread cubes.
7. Pour custard over the bread, then push the bread down to soak up the custard. (Not all of it will get wet.) Let sit for 30 minutes.
8. Cut the last two tablespoons of butter into a bunch of small pieces and dot the top of the bread cubes.
9. Cover with parchment and foil and bake at 375 degrees F for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 15 minutes. Turn heat to 425 degrees F and bake for another 15 minutes.
10. Serve immediately.

• Can I make Wild Mushroom Dressing ahead of time?  This dressing is terrific right out of the oven so, if possible, try to bake and serve. You can do much of the prep ahead of time including – cubing the bread, cooking the mushrooms, garlic, and shallots, and mixing the custard. Then about 90 minutes before serving, combine and follow the steps in the recipe to bake.
• How do I store leftovers?   Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to three days.
• How do I reheat leftovers? Reheat portions in the microwave – note that the dressing won’t be as crispy. Or place a full pan of dressing covered in parchment and foil and reheat through in a warm oven.  
• Can I freeze?  Yes, this dressing freezes well. Thaw before reheating.
• What is a wild mushroom? It is any variety of mushrooms that are not grown commercially. Note that although this recipe is called “Wild Mushroom Dressing” you can certainly use any kind of edible mushroom when making this dish.

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