mmmmm: homemade dill bread

snow is in the forecast again for us here in the south. for some reason, i always want to get my baking on when it's cold outside. this recipe is from one of my great friends and is so good i have to struggle to share with my family. it also ends in a butter bath, as all good things should. make it today. you won't be sorry.

dill bread

1 cup cottage cheese

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon butter (then more for the butter bath at the end)

1 tablespoon minced onion

2 teaspoons dill

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 unbeaten egg

1 package dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water

2 1/4 to 2 1/2 cups flour

in a saucepan, heat the cottage cheese to warm. add the sugar, butter, onion dill and salt. mix well. remove from heat. add yeast to the warm water. measure flour and baking soda into a bowl. add the water and yeast mixture to the flour. add the egg and the cottage cheese mixture to the bowl. mix well and knead until smooth. grease the bowl and replace the dough to the bowl. cover and let rise in a warm place for one hour. punch down and turn into an 8-inch greased round casserole dish. let rise another 20 minutes. bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. remove from oven and brush with butter (butter bath time!). enjoy!

mmmmm, mondays: whole wheat bread (bread machine)

i love the fall. everything about it makes me happy. one of my favorite things about this time of the year is the good that i get to make each week. i love soups, crockpot dishes, warm comfort foods and just about anything i can dump in my bread maker. chach and some of my other college roommates bought me my bread maker as a wedding gift. that poor machine has been lugged around three countries and still works like a charm. i don't know what i would do without it. 

if you don't have a bread maker, don't despair. first off, christmas is right around the corner and it would make a fantastic gift. secondly, you can make all the great bread machine breads with just a little more work. here's one of my favorite bread machine recipies (and the instructions to make it on your own if you must...christmas lists, ladies...christmas lists).

whole wheat bread

1 5/8 cups warm water

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 teaspoons salt

4 2/3 cups whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

for the bread machine recipe: dump in all the ingredients and select the "wheat bread" setting. wait about four hours. spread with butter...the real stuff. eat.

for the non-bread machine recipe. mix the dry ingredients. add the water and mix until a soft dough forms. turn onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. turn into a greased bowl. cover with a towel and let rise until doubled in size (about 1-2 hours). punch dough and pour into a large loaf pan. cover with greased plastic wrap. allow to rise until dough rises over the pan by about one inch (about 1-2 hours). preheat oven to 350 degrees. bake bread for 35-40 minutes. (you can put a bit of aluminum foil in a tent pattern over the bread while baking to prevent it from getting too brown on the top.) spread with butter...the real stuff. eat.

enjoy!