Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Toast bread until golden brown.

Heat butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the foam subsides. Add onions and celery then cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in parsely, sage, thyme, salt, pepper, nutmeg and cloves.

Stir into the bread cubes and toss until well combined. Depending on how much butter you started with and how firm you want the stuffing, stir in stock and egg, a little at a time, until the stuffing is lightly moist but not packed together.

Adjust the seasonings. To use as a stuffing, reheat just before spooning it into the bird(s). Or moisten with additional stock and/or egg. Then turn into a large, shallow buttered baking dish. Bake in a 350°F oven until the top has formed a crust and the stuffing is heated through, 25 to 40 minutes.