DILL AND ONION BREAD (AKA DILLY CASSEROLE BREAD)

Dill and Onion Bread (aka Dilly Casserole Bread) image

This is a very old recipe given to me in 1970 by a lady I called "Aunt Verabelle," not related. She was a treasure and I think of her every time I bake this bread. When I bought a bread machine, this was the first recipe I re-formulated to use in the machine vs traditional kneading process, so this is BREAD MACHINE specific....

Provided by Julie Jarrell Bailey

Time 3h35m

Number Of Ingredients 12

Ingredients

1/4 c water
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 c cottage cheese, small curd (don't use fatfree)
1 Tbsp butter, melted
2-1/2 c all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp dry minced onion
1 Tbsp dill weed
1 tsp dill seed
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 pkg dry yeast

Steps:

1. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour, sugar, onion, dill weed, dill seed, salt, bake soda and yeast). Lightly stir to mix. Set aside.
2. Pour the first four ingredients, (water, egg, cottage cheese and butter), into the bread machine mixing well.
3. ADD the dry ingredients in the large mixing bowl on top of the wet ingredients in the bread machine.
4. Set bread machine for a one-pound loaf, dark crust, Basic White dough. NOTE: If you want a chewier texture to the crust, set French Bread setting instead of Basic White. Push START.
5. When the last alarm rings on the machine to indicate you can stop and remove the mixing paddle, do so at this time. NOTE: At this point, you can choose to turn out the dough, roll/fold into a ball and set inside a medium-sized greased casserole dish for its last rise. SLICE the top of the dough down the center about a one-inch deep. Brush melted butter on top. SPRINKLE with coarse salt and dill weed for added flavor (optional). Cover and let rise in a warm place for about an hour to 90-minutes until at least doubled in size. IF YOU DON'T WANT TO TURN IT OUT, simply remove the paddle and return the dough to the center of the machine and it will finish rising and baking according to your machine settings, IF baking in the machine, when you return the dough to the well center, slice top of dough, brush with melted butter and sprinkle top with coarse salt and dill weed for added flavor (optional).
6. IF baking in oven, bake at 350-degrees for 35-45 minutes. Bread is done when golden brown on top and when bread sounds hollow when touching the top.
7. When baking is complete, turn finished bread out and allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving with softened butter. Store in bread box or lightly cover with plastic wrap. NOTE: some bakers like to brush melted butter on top when the bread comes out of the oven and that's an option. I don't do that because I feel it speeds up the aging process of day old bread.
8. NOTE: This bread doesn't keep well for more than two days. If you have leftovers, you should consider cutting into cubes and toasting to make croutons or running through a mill grinder to make savory bread crumbs for stuffing, meatloaf mix, coating on pork chops or other foods as your imagination takes you.