How to best use dill

Dill has always been an herb I struggle with. It has a deep, anise flavor, as well as an herbaceous, almost metallic quality. This flavor profile is hard to pair with other foods...

Dill in chicken soup? When there is too much, I find it overpowers the chicken flavor.

Dill with tomatoes? Even the bright, acidic quality of tomatoes can be obscured by dill.

I felt it wasn't very "chef-like" of me to abandon such a good-tasting and pretty herb. Turns out, I just didn't know how to harness dill properly, until now. This recipe, dill bread, is a new classic -- delicious with salty (locally made) butter and a bowl of soup or as sandwich bread for grilled vegetables. Make this recipe even more special by buying the bread flour, honey, bee pollen, and eggs from a local market...

Dill Bread
Makes One 8-cup loaf pan of bread (or 12-16 individual rolls)

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
½ cup warm tap water
3 cups bread flour
2 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped dill, stemmed and washed
2 teaspoons dill seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon molasses
1 tablespoon wheat germ
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup whole milk cottage cheese
1 egg
1 tablespoon bee pollen (optional)


1.   Preheat the oven to 400 F.

2.   In a medium size bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water, and set aside while mixing the other ingredients.

3.    In a mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment (or mix by hand), combine the bread flour with the shallots, dill, dill seeds, fennel seeds, sesame seeds, 2 tablespoons of the honey, molasses, wheat germ, salt, and black pepper. Mix to blend. Add the cottage cheese and the egg. Mix to blend.

4.    Use the paddle (or a whisk) to incorporate the yeast and water mixture, and transfer the dough to a bowl. Cover with a towel. and put it in a warm place to allow its volume to increase, 1½ to 2 hours.

5.    Grease an 8-cup baking loaf, and gently push the air out of the dough.  Place the dough squarely in the pan, and cover it with the towel again. Leave in a warm place for an additional hour.

6.    Lower the oven to 350F. Place the loaf in the center of the oven and bake, undisturbed, for 35 minutes. The top should be light to medium brown. Remove from the oven and brush the top with the remaining tablespoon of honey. Top with a sprinkling of the bee pollen, if desired. Allow the bread to "rest" for at least a ½ hour before cutting. Or, if you're like me, tear off the end, and nibble on it immediately as you wait for the rest of the loaf to cool!