Eating From the Garden: Dill Bread

Saturday, June 10, 2006

Weekend Herb Blogging goes on the road this week and will be hosted by Sweetnicks in New Jersey. Be sure to check her blog on Monday for a recap of all the interesting ways people are using herbs, flowers, and vegetables.

The dill in my garden is sending up flowers now, so I decided to use a bunch of it to make Swedish Dill Bread. I'm not Swedish, so I can't vouch for the authenticity of this recipe, but I can tell you it's delicious.


Swedish Dill Bread
from Ultimate Bread

2 tsp. dry yeast
3.5 cups unbleached flour
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill
5 oz. cream cheese, at room temp.*
2 onions, roughly chopped
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1 egg, beaten

* I boosted the healthfulness factor by using 1/3 less fat cream cheese and 1.5 cups of whole wheat flour in place of the white. It made a slightly denser bread, but it still had a great texture and taste.

Dissolve the yeast; let it sit for 5 minutes. Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and add the dill, cream cheese, onions, butter, egg, and yeast. Mix until it forms a sticky dough. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes until elastic. Put the dough in a clean bowl, cover it with a towl and let it rise for 1.5 hours. Grease a loaf pan, punch down the dough and let it sit for 10 minutes. Shape the dough and put it in the pan, seam side down. Let it rise for another 1.5 hours. Bake in preheated (350 degree Fahrenheit) oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour (until it sounds hollow when tapped underneath).

Fresh from the oven with a melting pat of butter.

This bread screams to become a ham sandwich with a smear of spicy brown mustard. If you like liverwurst and onions, it would be a perfect carrier for that too. And don't forget a dill pickle on the side!