Bread

I mentioned last week that I was feeling like making bread. This week was really busy and the weather was nuts, but I settled in tonight and made Dill Bread with last week's dill.

Tip: Wrap your fresh herbs (this works with lettuce and other veggies as well) in a damp paper towel and store in a plastic bag and they'll last much longer.

This is a recipe that Jennifer from Garden of Eden shared last year and I love it. I double the batch and freeze the second loaf or gift it.

1/4 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees F)
1 envelope dry yeast
1 cup whole milk cottage cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
1 large egg
1 teaspoon unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon dill seeds (I leave these out)
2 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour

Pour 1/4 cup of water into large bowl; sprinkle yeast over. Stir to blend. Let stand until yeast dissolves, about 10 minutes. Whisk cottage cheese, chopped dill, egg, butter, salt, sugar, and dill seeds. Add 2 1/4 cups flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until semi-stiff dough forms (do not knead). Cover bowl with plastic. Let dough rise in a warm area until doubled, about 1 hour.

Butter 8-inch bread pan. Punch down dough. Form 6 inch rounds (my dough is always pretty sticky still). Transfer dough round to prepared pan. Let dough rise uncovered in warm draft-free area until almost doubled in volume, about 45 minutes.

Position rack in center oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Bake until bread is golden and sounds hollow when tapped, about 40 minutes. Turn bread out of pan, let cool and slice!