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Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Dilly Casserole Bread






When we were little kids we lived in Santa Barbara and we had a lady who came to the house to help my mom with my little brother. The lady's name was Bessie..and she looked exactly like Mrs. Doubtfire. Exactly. Every afternoon we would sit down and pick out something to make for supper. Bessie is the one who introduced me to Vincent Price's " A Treasury of Great Recipes". But she had lots of her own recipes a well. One of our very favorite was the Dilly Casserole Bread. I made it last night to go with my swiss steak and mashed potatoes. It smelled of days gone by. I love dill in summer, so as the late afternoon sun sank over Mission Mountain, I flipped on the kitchen light, turned on the stove and slid in the cast iron skillet filled with the promise of warm bread for supper.

Dilly Casserole Bread from Bessie

1 package yeast
1/4 warm water
1 cup large curd cottage cheese
2 T. sugar
1 T. minced dry onion
1 T. soft butter
2 t. dill seeds
1 t. salt
1/4 t. baking soda
1 egg
2 1/4 to 2 1/2 cups flour.

Sprinkle yeast over warm water and dissolve.
Heat cottage cheese till warm.
Combine in a bowl with sugar,onion,butter,dill seeds,salt,baking soda, egg and yeast and water. Add flour to make a stiff dough. Knead into a ball. Cover and let rise 60 minutes till doubled.Stir down and put in a well greased 1 1/2 quart round 8" casserole. ( I use a cast iron skillet). Cover and let rise about 40 minutes.
Bake 350 degress for 35 minutes. Remove bread from oven and brush with butter and salt. Maldon or a fleur de sel is nice. Cover with foil, return to oven and bake 15 minutes more.

6 comments:

  1. Oh yum! Anything cooked in a cast iron skillet is OK by me. And I love that you're reaching towards your past for food inspiration.

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  2. Ok, I am going to make this as soon as we have a cold night in Maine, which is COMING! Hurrah.

    What would we do without our iron cookware. Honestly, I don't think anything does as good a job. Having a stack of skillets, pots, and a big dutch oven makes me feel rich beyond belief.

    Thank you for sharing this. I remember your fond stories of Bessie and how she influenced your life.

    Love, Sharon

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  3. hey,

    can i just say your photographs are real weepers? all your posts are as crisp as a braeburn apple
    xx
    donkey in the pines

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  4. This bread sounds so good. It is getting to be that time of year in our NC mountains as well. I roasted a chicken one night and made beef short ribs another night. The dilly bread would go well either. Love your blog.

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  5. This looks soooo good! I am definitely going to make one this weekend!
    Food from our haned-down recipes always taste the best 'cause they're made with love. :)

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  6. Hi!
    I made your bread today while I was at my mother's house. We both love it! The crust has such a wonderful crunch and feel to it.
    I'd like to write about it, with a link to you, and giving thanks to Bessie!
    Best wishes.

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Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by. I appreciate all your kind comments more than you can know.