Dear Ann,
At about this time last year, I shared my ultra-secret fambly recipe for Corn Souffle aka Corn Casserole aka Scalloped Corn. This was well received by the people. It has a stick of butter in it–what could be bad?
This year I am sharing yet another fambly fave. This one is also raved about by young and old, and in particular, people who hate cottage cheese, because you could never tell that it has cottage cheese in it. Not only does this “casserole bread” have the perfect savory flavor for the Thanksgiving meal (it tastes more of onion than dill), the next day it makes the most delectable toast EVER. Yummy and crumbly, and with butter melting on top it just about kills you with the deliciousness. I say this as a person who cherishes the institution of Toast: Dilly Bread makes the best toast. So make sure you make enough for toast. Although it is a yeast bread, it’s a pretty quick stir-and-rise operation, with no kneading and no blasting flour all over the kitchen.
(Photo from Pillsbury.com, which has an almost identical version of the recipe, which was a prize-winner in the 1960 Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest. Who knew?)
Dilly Bread
Yield: One loaf, approximately 12 slices
(In other words, if you don’t double or triple the recipe, you run the risk of No Toast.)
1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup cottage cheese, heated to lukewarm (ick! stay with me!)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon instant/dried minced onion
1 tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons dill seed (which is hard to find, so I use 3 teaspoons of dill weed)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 unbeaten egg
2 1/4 cup – 2 1/2 cups of flour
Soften the yeast in the warm water and combine this mixture in a mixing bowl with the cottage cheese, sugar, onion, butter, dill, salt, baking soda, and egg. Beat it up really good. Add flour gradually to form a stiff dough, beating well.
Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size.
Punch down and turn into a well greased round 1 1/2 – 2 quart casserole dish. Let it rise until doubled.
Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 40-50 minutes, when it is brown on top and gives a hollow sound when tapped.
Brush the top with extra melted butter if you are a member of my family. Serve warm; it reheats well.
I’m making mine on Tuesday night and freezing it until Thursday so that nobody eats it before then.
Love,
Kay
66 Comments
That looks good. Since no one told me what to bring on Thursday, I’ll think I’ll make this. Thanks for the recipe.
What? It’s Thanksgiving ALREADY?!!??
And I was just trying to think of what kind of savory bready/muffiny thing to make to go with THE BIG MEAL….It might just be Dilly bread.
And I was just trying to think of what sort of savory bready/muffiny thing to make to go with THE BIG MEAL. It might just be Dilly bread.
That looks delicious. I can’t wait to try it! Maybe with some white chili made with leftover turkey…omg now I’m starving!
Dilly Bread was all the rage in the ’60s. It was the only thing my mother ever made from scratch. Little Betty was the Queen of the Mix.
Looked back at your corn souffle recipe, in our house it is called baked corn. Perhaps, ours should be called corn souffle as we separate the eggs and fold in the whipped egg whites separately. Not that we’ll change the name of my late mom’s signature dish. Happy Thanksgiving.
Looked back at your corn souffle recipe, in our house it is called baked corn. Perhaps, ours should be called corn souffle as we separate the eggs and fold in the whipped egg whites separately. Not that we’ll change the name of my late mom’s signature dish. Happy Thanksgiving.
It is nice to see toast getting the respect it deserves. Your recipe for Dilly Bread inspired me to write this haiku.
I love toast so much
What could be finer than toast?
Dilly toast buttered
Isn’t toast great? What other food inspires poetry?
I wish I was up to my knees
In my mom’s macaroni and cheese
We’ve been making this bread for years. Fast and very savory. The only way I really like cottage cheese…
I think I’m going to make cornmeal yeast rolls this year. Good and hearty!
Mmm, that looks good. I might have to make some next week since Durwood thinks toast is the perfect food. But I’ll be making my famous (in the family) Onion Bread Turbans for the feast. I, too, will make it tomorrow and hide it so it is not eaten before the big day.
I can remember making dilly bread with my mom in the early 70s when I was about 4 or 5. The dough kept rising and growing and overflowing the bowls until it seemed like we used every bowl in the kitchen to contain the dilly bread dough. I’ve never made it since. I’m afraid it might overtake my kitchen.
Yay for bread, and Thanksgiving, and new recipes to try! Thanks, Kay!!
I love Dilly Bread. I can remember loving it as a child and making it as an adult. I haven’t made it in a while. Ours was always made in a regular loaf pan. It’s nice to see the round casserole version. Must buy cottage cheese.
This recipe looks great! I am in charge of the bread for Thursday. I may have to do a dry run tomorrow. Have you ever made it into rolls? I understand what this would do to toast prospects.
I am in a gingerbread man fever making these:http://shop.yarnery.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=8_20&products_id=250
Have a great Thanksgiving!
I will have to try this as soon as the kitchen is done. Which hopefully will be in time for Festivus.
Like Joyce R and others, I remember making this bread! Sadly, the hubby and kids were not so fond of it. The kids must have inherited all my ex’s genes … so the recipe wandered away to wherever mislaid, unused recipes go. But now …
I know that some claim the banana is THE miracle food. I really think toast takes crown however. BUT…you can’t freeze bread! It ruins the taste – it sucks the life right out of it.
On that happy note, wishing you and your fambly a wonderful Thanksgiving!
All this (gestures wildly at the heaps’o’knitting inspired by this site)…and recipes, too. Much to be thankful for, ladies. Have a wonderful holiday. A dilly of a day…
Wow! That’s a flash back. My mom used to make this back in the day, and I learned to make it when I got my first apartment. May have to drag out the old recipe again. Thanks for the memories. I can taste it now.
Happy Thanksgiving!
I remember making this as a young, adventurous cook. Thanks for the blast back to the past. I may bring some to our gathering this week. Happy Thanksgiving to you Kay & Ann. I am grateful for you both.
Did you know that the woman who won with this recipe was from Nebraska? Yet another helping of goodness to come from NE . . . 🙂
However did I grow up in a house that revered toast as the cure all food and not learn of this wonderous bread? Adding things to the grocery list for tomorrow, you know, the day I was not going to have to go grocery shopping, ‘cuz I was done. So about that dill weed… fresh? dried? I have to buy some fresh dill for the smoked salmon spread, so I’ll be using that. Just wondering if must adjust the quantity or leave it alone. Thanks!
I have never used fresh. Always dried and I have not had a hard time finding dill seeds. I imagine they would have a different flavor profile than dill weed or fresh dill. Let us know what you use and your results. I also brush the top of the finished loaf with melted butter, kosher salt and a sprinkle of dill seeds.
Am I odd because I actively like cottage cheese? Even without the need for Thanksgiving, I may try this at some point, but not before I’ve tried the beer & cheese bread the Hairy Bikers made, the ingredients for which have been lounging around the kitchen for weeks. x x x
I used to make this bread in coffee cans. It is delicious. I’ll make a loaf for my Friday morning after Thanksgiving brunch.
Thanks for the post.
tp
Ditto Diana Glass; such a homey touch!
Thanks, Kay.
LoveDiane
Mmmmm. Yep, I’m thinkin we’re probly related.
I first made this bread when the recipe came out in 1960. My kids were little and didn’t care for dill, so I used caraway and we ate it that way for about 40 years. Now that they are grown, we make a loaf of dill and a loaf of caraway. Either way, it’s the best.
And…we called the corn thing Scalloped Corn….and it is one of our favorites.
Thanks for some good memories!!!!
That is weird as I just made 4 loaves of this same bread on Sunday! 3 are in the freezer. Mine is not done in a casserole but the recipe (except for larger quantities) is exactly the same!! Delicious is right, a fav in this family too. Happy Thanksgiving.
This looks and sounds nummy!
Dilly Bread Rocks! I’ll be having some on Turkey day I’m sure at Guy’s house.
I LOVE THIS BREAD! My Mom made this, but somehow it has the name “Patio Bread.” Maybe we ate it on the patio? Anyway, we love it with the dill, and my kids are indoctrinated and love it as well. Thanks for the origin of the recipe; I’ve always wondered about it (Mom could never remember).
Kay, I just made some and it’s rising – thanks for the recipe! Not to nitpick or anything, but I’m hoping that the dill gets mixed in with everything else, not soaked in the melted butter or something. Just checking!
cranberry ice to serve in
little
glass cups -computers !
dear kay and ann -your new book arrived
monday be proud of your selves
just beautiful it may be listed as a
knitting book -but i think its what
i call a book book i am happy to call
the book mine -is not gale zucker good
tojours gai tojours gai -happy holiday
thank you again for sharing the corn casserole, erm, souffle. I made it last year and it was a big hit. I did however, make the “organic” version. 😉
looks yummy! i have some dill seed if you’d like some. i got it at the Park Slope Food Coop.
Mmm. That sounds good, and I hate cottage cheese. I wonder if buttermilk could be substituted. I have that in the house right now…
I don’t think buttermilk would make a good substitute. You don’t taste the cottage cheese. The original recipe called for large curd which is almost unheard of anymore but all the mixing breaks it down. I can’t think of anything that would cross as a sub. Good luck.
3 yr old Erin would love a new dress to walk her dog ” Puppy”, Seattle area does get cold and this would keep her warm along with matchin leg warmers.
Good luck to me!!! And thanks for sharing
Dilly Bread is one of my mother’s recipes too. She lives in Sioux Falls, SD, where I grew up. Omaha, Sioux Falls – is it regional? I didn’t compare the exact ingredients, but my mom’s has cottage cheese in it too – how many could there be?
My mom has been known to bake this in muffin tins for individual servings. And you’re totally right about the toast.
Marcy
I heard somewhere about a restaurant that served only toast. Or maybe it was someone’s fantasy in a book I read. Anyway, I think it’s a great idea!
I love recipies from across the pond. different measures, different tastes. Goodness you are all so’fisticated! Slight problem with the ingredients. Can I used fresh or cooked chopped onion as we don’t get instant onion (honestly I’ve not looked) and roughly how much yeast is in the packet? the ones we get here may be the same, about 5g, which would be sufficient for 1.5kg of flour.
It’s a different language!
I just made the bread. It’s an avalanche of deliciousness. I’m going to have to hide it from my family if I want to make it to toast stage. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Made it for the family Thanksgiving – a hit with everyone! Thanks for sharing –
I fixed a savory Thanksgiving dinner, and the big hit was dilly bread. It’s a keeper. Thanks
OK, I can’t resist this, especially given your ravings about the toast: would it be fair to re-christen this recipe “Dilly Beloved”??
OK, I can’t resist this, especially given your ravings about the toast: would it be fair to re-christen this recipe “Dilly Beloved”??
Hi.. um, I have a question for y’all re: the mop cover in Outside the Lines – though it’s rhetorical, since I can figure the pattern out.
Is row 1 truly supposed to be purled and row 2 knitted? Or the other way around? Because when it says “repeat these 12 rows” for the pattern, someone who hadn’t knitted the pattern before would end up with every other “row” of A as reverse stockinette.
FYI. =)
I made this recipe on Thursday for Thanksgiving dinner and everyone LOVED it! My mom asked for the recipe after dinner and I gave her the print out that I used. She wanted to make sure that I thanked you for sharing.
The bread was delicious!
This is one of the best breads ever. A friend gave me the recipe over twenty years ago. It makes wonderful ham sandwiches–with or with out cheese. Great with soup also.
Thanks for making me think of it again. I must make some this weekend.
I am a recent discoverer of all things MDK. Have knitted three huge swatches of strange textiles in wild colors. Daughter thinks I’ve lost my mind. What are you knitting she asks rolling her teenaged eyes. Have you gone color blind.
Who cares…I’m in log cabin ecstasies at the moment.
I am a bread baking fiend. Ilove to bake it, no one ever loves to eat it. I shall try the Dilly Bread…but I was wondering if you have a cinnamon loaf bread lurking in some recipe box somewhere. This time of year I always start wanting to make a cinnamon raisin toast of homemade bread. Babs
That’s the very recipe of the first bread that I ever baked from scratch. I got the recipe from a book of New York Times favorites.
Very happy to report that this comes out great in the bread machine. I’ve made it a half dozen times on various settings and it is always delicious. Trying it today on the “sweet” bread setting. The only downside of the breadmachine–you can only make one at a time!
I have been enjoying this for years. My Dad started making it when we lived in Wyoming in the 1960’s. I’ve always loved it. Now I make it and was stunned to find a copy of the recipe in a very old church cookbook. I hope everyone makes this. It is a great family recipe.
My grandmother made Dilly Rolls every Thanksgiving (and only for T’giving); after she passed, my mother continued the tradition. When my mother passed, the recipe died too.
My mother taught me to knit but not how to make Dilly Rolls (or the perfect biscuit)…I was so excited when I saw “Dilly” in your Saturday Snippets – thank you, thank you, thank you. After 13 years without them, I’ll have Dilly Rolls next week!
This is a bread that I have been making for years from a recipe of a friend. It is especially good as a ham sandwich or to go with chowder. I also found the recipe in an old cook book by Betters Homes and Gardens (I think). Now all I need is my mother’s WW II Icebox Cookie recipe. Also I now need food!
Bonnie from Eugene via Indiana
While trying to clean off my raised bed garden I’ve come across a lovely patch of dill that has reseeded itself. I’ve been snipping it off for an extra green on salads, but this recipe sounds great! And just in time for Thanksgiving. Thanks
Too late for this Thanksgiving, but dill seed is available at Penzeys.com. It’s $4.69 for a 1/2 cup jar (little jar.) Maybe in time for Christmas?
Just mixed up my Thanksgiving dilly bread dough! Thanks for bringing it into my life!!!
Yum! Thanks!
Love the recipe. I will use it all during the winter. Who doesn’t love bread
I love this but unfortunately I’ve developed some serious allergies and can no longer eat dairy or gluten. Any chance you have a dairy free & gluten free version?
I remember making dilly bread one time as a child with my mom. The dough rose so much it overflowed its bowl. I think we used every bowl we had in the house to contain it.
Dilly Bread is delicious …..so easy to make. Thank you. Try a Tuna melt on dilly…wonderful.