Fall is here and with it, comes cooler weather and we all spend just a bit more time indoors. It’s also a time of the year that people enjoy baking. Maybe it’s a batch of cookies, a plate of brownies, or perhaps a cake or muffins. For many of us, it’s bread.
As far as sandwiches go, it’s no secret that bread and dill pickles just go together. Whether it’s slices on a sandwich or a delicious spear as a side.
But what if you could make a delicious loaf of bread that tasted like the dill pickles you love – dill pickle bread? Is your mind blown? Yes, ours is too, because this dill pickle bread recipe is THAT GOOD.
This is a true game changer for sandwiches!
The idea isn’t that novel actually, and there is more than one type of dill pickle bread that you can make. One that uses baking powder as a leavener and results in a more cake-like bread; similar to banana bread. The other dill pickle bread option, which we’ll give you a recipe for here, uses yeast. Using yeast in this recipe results in bread that you can either shape into dinner rolls in a round or into a loaf form, which you can use to slice for sandwiches.
The basic premise of this recipe is the simple swapping of pickle brine/juices for some or all of the water in a traditional bread dough recipe; then adding some chopped pickles and any other garnishments you’d like at the end.
In this recipe, we also add some cheddar cheese and red onion for additional flavor.
Using lukewarm water (in this case, pickle brine) is necessary for making your own bread as is mixing, kneading, rising twice, shaping, proofing and baking. We will be including all of these steps in this recipe.
This recipe makes approximately two pounds of dough which is enough for approximately 2 – 1 pound loaves. Alternately, you can shape it into a single round (boule), and then cut the remaining dough into 6 – 3-ounce pieces; then shape each of them into small balls to create six dinner rolls.
As far as any topping, a simple water wash or egg wash is fine. If using an egg wash, you can sprinkle the top of the dough with a little dill weed and/or everything bagel seasoning topping, or, poppy seeds for an attractive finish.
Dill Pickle Bread Recipe
Servings: Makes 2 pounds of dough for 2-1b loaves or about 12 – 18 diner rolls
Ingredients:
- 2 packets Instant Dry Yeast
- 2 tablespoons Granulated Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Dry Dill Weed
- 1 1/2 cups Pickle Brine (lukewarm and strained), Polish Dill by Great Lakes Pickling Company
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 4 cups Bread Flour
- ½ to ¾ cup Dill Pickle, Finely Chopped
- 1 cup Cheddar Cheese, Shredded & Chopped
- ¼ cup Red Onion, Finely Chopped
- For Topping:
- As Needed Egg Wash (1 beaten egg + ¼ cup water)
- ¼ cup Everything Bagel Topping or Poppy Seeds
Directions:
- In a mixing bowl with a dough hook, begin by placing ½ cup of the pickle brine with ¼ cup flour and the yeast. Stir gently and allow this mixture to rest for 15 minutes, at which time you should see the yeast activate by creating bubbles.
- Add the remaining pickle brine, flour, sugar, dill weed, and olive oil.
- Begin the mixing of the dough on low speed. It should begin somewhat wet and clumpy, then it will pick up onto the dough hook a bit. Stop mixing at this point and check to be sure the dough isn’t too stiff or too wet. It should feel soft and spongy. If the dough is a bit “clay-like”, add a couple tablespoons of pickle brine or water, if it is too wet, add a few tablespoons more of flour.
- Begin mixing the dough once again, this time on medium speed for approximately 2 to 3 minutes. After that amount of time, you can begin to add the chopped pickles, the red onion and the cheddar cheese in 2 to 3 stages, mixing 2 minutes after each addition. The dough should now look more smooth and elastic. It will likely still have some of the dough sticking to the very bottom of the mixing bowl but for the most part, it should be adhering to the dough hook and not adhering to the side walls of the mixing bowl. If it does add a bit more flour.
- Once the dough has mixed a full total of 7 to 8 minutes, stop the mixing and turn the dough into a lightly oiled bowl and set aside, covered, in a warm, draft free area.
- Allow about 1 to 1 ½ hours for the dough to double in size. Once that is achieved, punch the dough down, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into a loaf, round, or cut into roll size pieces.
- Place the finished loaf / rolls onto a baking sheet, cover with a light cloth, and allow the dough to once again double in size.
- While the dough is resting, pre-heat your oven to 425°F.
- Once the dough is nearly doubled, brush the shape/s gently with egg wash and sprinkle evenly with the dill weed and either everything bagel seasoning, or, poppy seeds.
- Allow the garnished dough to rest another 15 minutes, then, score the top with a sharp knife and bake in the oven approximately 25 minutes for a full loaf or 25 to 20 minutes for rolls. The finished bread should have a golden-brown color.
- Remove the bread onto a cooling rack and allow to fully cool before slicing.
Enjoy this dill pickle bread recipe!
