Midwestern Dried Fruit Stuffing

Source: Bon Appetit, November 1994

• 1 24-ounce loaf day-old sliced whole wheat bread, ends discarded
• 1 cup dried tart cherries
• 1 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 cup dried currants
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pitted prunes
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1.5 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme or 1.5 teaspoons dried
• 2 eggs, beaten to blend
• 2.75 cups (about) canned low-salt chicken broth

1. Preheat oven to 250F. Arrange bread slices on oven rack and bake until very dry but not brown, about 30 minutes. Transfer bread to very large bowl. Coarsely crumble bread. Mix in cherries, raisins, currants and prunes. Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions and saute until golden and tender, about 15 minutes. Add to stuffing. Mix in thyme. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)
2. Mix in eggs.
3. Mix 3/4 cup broth into stuffing. fill main turkey cavity with stuffing. Mix enough broth into remain stuffing to moisten (about 3/4 to 1 cup, depending on amount of remaining stuffing). Spoon remaining stuffing into buttered baking dish. Cover with buttered foil. Bake stuffing in dish along side turkey until heated through, about 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until to is crisp, about 15 minutes.

• Serves 10.