Clara’s Dilly Bread

This is a wonderfully fragrant and delicious bread that originated with my mother years ago. “Clara” was a woman in a church where my father was pastor, and she had given this recipe to my mother. This is something I look forward to making now that I have an oven again.

I have added Mother’s comments, some of them seem a bit old-fashioned. Plus she always wrote her recipes out on onion-skin paper, making it extremely difficult to read! I think you can enlarge the picture of the recipe to get an idea of what I had to translate.

This was a staple in my home when I was growing up and she sent this to me when I was a young bride. I had to laugh when I read her last comment about how to eat the loaf! I’d forgotten that.

Mix 1 package dry yeast with ¼ cup warm water.

Add 1 cup creamed cottage cheese OR 1 cup clabbered milk heated to lukewarm, 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 tablespoon minced fresh onion.

Mix in 1 tablespoon butter, 2 teaspoons dill seed, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 unbeaten egg, ¼ teaspoon soda, and 4-5 cups flour (more or less to make the right consistency of bread dough.)

Combine all in a mixing bowl, let rise until double in bulk in warm place (50-60 minutes).

Punch down and put into 2 greased loaf pans, or 1 loaf pan and 1 greased round casserole.

Let rise a bit, then bake in 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes until done.

Remove from oven and butter tops thoroughly while hot and sprinkle with lots of salt.

This is a lovely bread to give as a gift, or to slice for a party.

The final note on my mother’s recipe: “If the family isn’t around, eat one loaf yourself and save the other until they get home.”  There was never any left over for sandwiches to take to school.

A hui hou!