Published November 1, 1997.
We wanted to find a way to safely and successfully roast a stuffed turkey, making sure that the breast meat would be succulent and the stuffing fully cooked. Heating the stuffing for our stuffed turkey recipe in the microwave before placing it in the bird gave it a head start on cooking. Brining the bird added flavor and moisture (without, as we feared, making the stuffing soggy or overly salty). For even more insurance that the easily dried out breast meat would stay moist in our stuffed turkey recipe, we roasted the turkey breast side down for the first three hours to protect it from the direct heat of the oven, then flipped and finished it breast side up until done (and browned).
Trim the bread or not, as you prefer, before cutting it into 1/2-inch cubes. Spread the cubes in a single layer over several baking sheets and dry at room temperature for 2 to 3 days, or in a 225-degree oven for 25 to 40 minutes. The dry and wet elements of the recipe can be made separately up to 24 hours ahead of time, but do not combine them until the last minute.
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