Thanks everyone. Yes, I used an oven thermometer. It's an old one (the standard metal frame) and I have no reason to think it's off, since setting the oven 25 degrees lower seems to work almost all the time.... and NOT setting it lower tends to burn/brown the food too much (though I haven't tried that for a long while....). In addition, I always put the rack in the middle of the oven (unless the recipe says to do otherwise), then put the thermometer in the middle of the rack on which I'll put the pan, and wait until it registers at (or very close to) the temp I want. And, yes, the breast was cold when it went into the oven -- I made the herb paste in the morning, spread it on, covered with foil, and put it in the fridge. I wanted to go for a bike ride and didn't want to cut that short to come back and prepare the turkey; all I'd need to do is stick it in the oven. No doubt, letting it sit at room temp for about an hour would have made a difference in cooking time. I bought it fresh, not frozen, and kept it in the fridge until cooking time. (I removed the foil except for the last 30 minutes.) So, next time I'll let it sit for about an hour at room temp before cooking, then let it reach 165 degrees before removing it from the oven. This was Ina's recipe and tried and true so I'm going on the assumption I did something differently. It wasn't overly dry.... a little on the dry side. The flavor is great and I would definitely make it again, but not for company until I get this right! I also made the dill potatoes (posted here before), and brussel sprouts blanched then tossed w/ EVOO and drizzled with finely chopped walnuts then roasted in the oven. Hubby (who does most of the cooking since he's retired and I am still working) said "This is really good, Hon." .... then, after dinner, "Good job!" All's well that ends well! :-) Thank you all so much!! What a great forum.

There's still the myth out there that a breast is automatically dry. The main reason a turkey breast turns out dry is people insist on overcooking it. (And yes, I know we're risking being chastised by a certain person for using the "b" word so much here but that's the way it is baby.) Let's talk some facts here: Dark meat needs to be cooked to 180°. Breast is done at 160°. Think about it. If you cook that breast until it hits 180° what do you expect will happen? Add to that when people cook it longer to get that mahogany color to the breast, good gawd, don't blame the meat for the cook overcooking it! I see no need to brine a good turkey breast. And *never* brine a "Butterball", Kosher or other "enhanced" bird since they're already so full of salt you don't want anymore. To me, brining tends to make the meat mushy. I like a firmness to meat. I still have teeth and like to use them. I don't need everything the consistency of oatmeal yet. Many like to dry salt birds. I'd guess it preferable to brining though I'd probably use a rub if I were going to mess with it. I don't find my turkey to be underseasoned at all. I know today the typical thing is overseason everything but I tend to go for the natural flavors rather than salt, sugar and chemicals. Many people like roasting bags to assist in cleanup. A covered roaster or Dutch oven works well too. Once going to the Nesco, I've never looked back so I don't even try them anymore. Be aware though that covered roasting will keep more moisture in so the skin isn't going to crisp up as much. Covering it or bagging it changes from truly "roasting" the meat to partly steaming or even braising the meat, not that it's bad, but it *is* different. If that's a big thing you need to take other steps or use a different method. I use the Nesco roaster and never have a dried out breast. Even if I overcook it a bit the Nesco is forgiving enough it's no problem. Many like the bags. But just using an oven works fine as long as you use a thermometer. I set the alarm at 155° and shut it down when the alarm goes off. An average breast takes 2-2.5 hours as I recall. I tend to use lower heat than some. America's Test Kitchen has a nice video showing how they oven roast turkey parts. Note a couple things: First they cut off the bottom rib bones. I did this last time and it was a PITA to do but I felt it was much easier to cook it it was sure a lot easier to work with when done. Also they do start it upside down, but they said they do that to protect the breast while the dark meat is cooking too. I've never flipped it myself. No need to. And it's not convenient to do it anyway. They also roasted at 275°. Now the food police are shaking in their boots about this but watch the video and they explain why it's better, plus keep in mind you're talking parts instead of a whole turkey too. Here is a link that might be useful: Slow Roasted Turkey & Gravy using Turkey Parts

Whether bone in or boneless, I cook it the same way. Shove a ton of herbed butter under the skin(I like sage,chives and thyme for a turkey),heavily season the skin with salt and pepper,and roast that sucker. I have long wanted to try Ina Gartens turkey roulade(minus the fruit) but finding a whole,boneless skin on turkey breast has proved almost impossible around here. And I couldn't debone one myself, it would be shredded...

The FDA says 150º is safe if held at that temp for at least 4 minutes. Not a typo. (I just checked again). Out of the oven, tented, it will increase to at least 160 within 20-30 minutes. Just pulled out my big file folder last night. Old Food&Wine recipe, after resting, cranks the broiler and gives the breast skin a quick re-heat so it is sizzle crisp to the table. edited to add...the FDA has advanced charts for precision cooking that involves times held at certain temps for safety. Why SousVide works and why the length of time is important. Many home ovens run low and high and rarely checked by the homeowner. My old vintage gas double wall ovens were off...the upper ran a bit high and the lower a bit under. Why we see recipes for 155-160º so often.