Karen, I make all my bread with the bread maker doing the work mixing and kneading the dough. I set it on the "dough" setting, then when it's done with the cycle, I take the dough from the machine, shape it on a baking sheet or in a pan, and bake it in the oven.

I do not like the texture of the crust when baked in a bread machine, it's kind of "steamed" instead of baked, if that makes sense.

Any of the recipes can be made by hand, though, and be perfectly fine. This is the recipe I used, from King Arthur Flour.

I added about 1/4 cup of very finely minced onion, I didn't cook it first and a tablespoon or so of finely minced fresh dill. It didn't have enough of a dill flavor, so next time I'll use dried or use more fresh. And i didn't think to start the starter the night before, so I started it in the morning before I went to work and used it at night when I got home. I didn't add the sesame seed topping and I didn't braid it, I just made a long baguette.

I added the onion and dill when I started the machine at the very beginning, I didn't wait for the beep that tells me to add nuts, etc.

Italian Bread 101

Overnight Starter
3/4 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1/8 teaspoon instant yeast

Dough
2 teaspoons instant yeast
2/3 cup water
2 3/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 1/4 teaspoons salt

Topping
1 egg white beaten with 1 tablespoon water
sesame seeds

The Starter: Mix the starter ingredients in a small bowl, cover, and let rest at room temperature overnight.

Manual Method: In a large bowl, combine the starter and the remainder of the dough ingredients, stirring till the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased surface, oil your hands, and knead it for 5 to 7 minutes, or until it's supple, but the surface is still somewhat rough. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl or dough-rising bucket, cover the bowl or bucket, and allow the dough to rise for 90 minutes, turning it over and gently deflating it after 45 minutes.

Mixer Method: Combine the ingredients as above, using a flat beater paddle or beaters, then switch to the dough hook(s) and knead for about 5 minutes; the dough should have formed a ball, but its surface will still be a bit rough. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl or dough-rising bucket, cover the bowl or bucket, and allow the dough to rise for 90 minutes, turning it over and gently deflating it after 45 minutes.

Bread Machine Method: Place all of the ingredients, including the starter, into the pan of your machine, program the machine for manual or dough, and press Start. When the cycle is finished, remove the dough, deflate it gently, and let it rest, covered, for 30 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and divide it into three pieces. Roll each piece into an 18-inch rope. Braid the ropes (tucking the ends under), set the braid on a lightly greased baking sheet, cover, and let rise it rise for about 60 to 90 minutes, or till it's very puffy.

Brush the braid with the egg white glaze. Sprinkle it heavily with sesame seeds. Bake the bread in a preheated 425F oven for 25 to 35 minutes; the longer it bakes, the crunchier it'll be. Remove it from the oven and cool it on a wire rack (or cool it in the turned-off, door-propped open oven). Yield: 1 loaf.

It was good, and even better toasted.

Annie

I saw this on the WFD post and was going to ask for the recipe too. I'm making it this weekend for sure. YUM!
Thanks Annie!

David

It's cool enough there to bake bread, David? If it is, hurry before it gets hot again, it's coming!

Remember, this is a "work in progress" so add the dill to your own taste...

Annie

Thanks Annie, The bread sounds really yummy. Now, I just need to find some time to make it. The weather is going to be beautiful today and cooler. A great baking day. But......I have a CFers party to go to, yeah!!!!

Took one of our granddaughters to the County Fair yesterday. That Fair food is GREAT. I'm up 2 pounds today!!!! All that grease....so good.

Annie, I have a second range in my garage that I use as back up and for baking If I don't want to heat up the kitchen. The heat is on here for sure. We've been under a heat warning for some time now.

Went to make this today and forgot about the starter. I'll do it one night this week or next weekend for sure. Instead, I have struan bread rising now.

David

Finally got around to making this recipe. Good bread but I think my dried dill has lost it's punch. I used a tablespoon and then some thinking it would be enough but it needed more. Still a yummy bread and I'll make it again. Just need to get some new dried dill or try it with fresh. Not the pretties free formed loaf that's for sure...LOL!

My onions kind of disappeared into the dough too. I was expecting little bits of onion in the slices. I might trying adding them when my bread machine does it's beeping thing next time. Thanks for sharing the recipe Annie. I'll be playing around with this one again for sure.

I remember making one where you sauted the onions and put them in the dough when forming the loaf. Think it was braided too. Anyone remember that one? I can't find it my files.

David

David, I didn't think there was enough dill in mine either, and mine was pretty fresh. It must need a Lot of dill. I did get little tiny pieces of onion in the dough, but nothing really noticeable.

The onion braid was a recipe that Readinglady gave to me. I loved it and made extra filling, Sherry thought the filling was "slimy". (grin) That's fine, more for me!

At any rate, here it is and thanks for the reminder. I did make two smaller loaves. Remember, make extra filling, just for Sherry. LOL

Braided Onion Loaf

This makes one giant (18-inch) braid, or make two smaller loaves, if you like. Soft and tender, rather than crisp and chewy, it's a nice addition to a dinner breadbasket.
Dough
3/4 cup (6 ounces) hot-from-the-tap water
1/2 cup (4 ounces) milk
4 1/4 cups (18 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1/4 cup (2 ounces) butter or vegetable oil
1 egg

Filling
1/4 cup (2 ounces) butter, melted
2 cups (8 ounces) finely chopped onions, OR 1/2 cup (1 1/2 ounces) instant minced onions
1 teaspoon garlic powder OR 1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 cup (1 1/4 ounces) Parmesan cheese, grated

Topping
1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tablespoon water
3 tablespoons poppy, sesame, caraway or mixed seeds

Manual Method: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine all of the dough ingredients, stirring till the mixture starts to leave the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased surface, oil your hands, and knead it for 6 to 8 minutes, or until it's smooth and supple. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl or dough-rising bucket, cover the bowl or bucket, and allow the dough to rise till puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.

Mixer Method: Combine the ingredients as directed in the previous paragraph, using a flat beater paddle or beaters, then switching to the dough hook(s) and kneading for 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl or dough-rising bucket, cover the bowl or bucket, and allow the dough to rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, till it's puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk.

Bread Machine Method: Place all of the dough ingredients into the pan of your machine, program the machine for manual or dough, and press Start. Take a look at the dough about 10 minutes before the end of the final kneading cycle, and adjust its consistency with additional water or flour, as necessary, to produce a smooth, supple dough. Allow the machine to complete its cycle.

Filling: In a medium-sized saucepan, sauté the onion and garlic in the butter until the onions are soft and golden brown. Remove the pan from the stove, allow it to cool to lukewarm, then stir in the paprika and cheese. Set it aside.

Assembly: Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled or lightly floured work surface. Roll it into an 18 x 12-inch rectangle, and cut it lengthwise into three 18 x 4-inch strips. Place a row of filling down the middle of each strip. Fold the strips over, use the heel of your hand to seal the edges, then roll into logs, sealing the ends. This is a very extensible (stretchy) dough; the logs will try to become VERY long as you roll them, but try to keep them within a few inches of their original length.

Braid the logs and place the braid on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover lightly and allow the loaf to rise for 1 hour. Beat the egg yolk with 1 tablespoon water and brush the loaf all over with the egg wash. Sprinkle it with the seeds of your choice.

Bake the braid in a preheated 375°F oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until it's deep brown and sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into a thick part of the bread (but not into the filling) registers 200°F or higher. Remove the bread from the oven, and allow it to cool somewhat before serving. Yield: 1 large loaf.
Note: This could easily be made into two smaller loaves. When you make your original cuts in the dough, simply make one additional crosswise cut, so you have six 9 x 4-inch rectangles (instead of three 18 x 4-inch). Proceed as directed above, making two loaves. You may want to reduce the baking time slightly.
Nutrition
Nutrition information per serving (1/16 of large loaf, 85g): 201 cal, 8g fat, 5g protein, 25g complex carbohydrates, 3g sugar, 1g dietary fiber, 32mg cholesterol, 307mg sodium, 104mg potassium, 75RE vitamin A, 2mg vitamin C, 2mg iron, 43mg calcium, 73mg phosphorus.

This recipe reprinted from The Baking Sheet (r) (Vol. XI, No. 4, Spring 2000 issue). The Baking Sheet is a newsletter published six times a year by The Baker's Catalogue(r), P.O. Box 876, Norwich, Vermont 05055. (The Baking Sheet and The Baker's Catalogue are both registered trademarks of The Baker's Catalogue, Inc.)

Annie

That bread photo is beautiful! All this talk of bread makes me want to make some. We have been eating store bread for a long time.

That's the one Annie. Thanks for posting it! Mom and I loved it. My sisters were on Sherry's side and thought the filling was slimy too. LOL More for me and Mom!

I'll making the dill bread again too. More dill and I'll go a little bigger with the chopped onion.

Thanks Eileen! Yes, time to bake some bread. I remember you getting in the grove a while back. : )

David

David that loaf looks perfect to me. Perfectly beautiful.

I need to try that recipe.

Thanks Annie.

Ann

Looks yummy to me too David! I Make a similar loaf and don't add the onions until the beep. Works fine.

Must try the braided loaf, I love stuffed onion braid.

I can't wait till it gets cool enough to make bread again. I'm copying and pasting the recipes for later. It's almost cool enough now, only getting up to the mid '90's but not quite.

Sally

I find it pretty hard to get enough dill taste into anything cooked using only the leaves. You have to add some seed too.
Years ago I made a yeast dill bread using cottage cheese. I have no idea where that recipe might be....perhaps I made it up and didn't write it down? It was moist and a little more dense than a simple French bread.
May have to mess around with that again...
Linda C

Pffth Lindac don'tcha know how to use google (hugs)

Here is your link

Mmmm, dill seed. Might have to try that and see what happens. My original plan with this bread was to use for a smoked salmon benedict. Thought the dill bread, toasted or grilled, would be perfect. I love playing around with bread recipes and will be with this one for sure.

David

Amazing...It looks very like the recipe....but I sure didn't get it there...at Pillsbury. But it had cottage cheese....
Thanks Jessie....now I have to buy some cottage cheese!
Linda C

Linda - I just made it a few days ago using my favorite recipe from Yankee Magazine. Maybe the title of this thread sent subliminal messages LOL! Anyway, is this close to the one you were looking for? Oh yea, and I made rolls instead of a loaf, but same idea.

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Dill Bread

Yield: 1 loaf

An unusual, very moist yeast bread, redolent of dill. Great served with Italian food, and popular at parties, too.

1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup creamed cottage cheese
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon chopped onion
1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons dried dillweed, dill seed, or a combination of both
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg, slightly beaten
2-1/2 cups all-purpose white flour
Melted butter to glaze
Combine the yeast with the warm water. Set aside.
In a saucepan over low heat, combine the cottage cheese, honey, onion, butter, dill, baking soda, and egg. When the butter is melted, remove from the heat. Stir in the yeast mixture. Gradually add the flour to form a stiff dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead for 5 to 10 minutes.

Place in a large, well-greased bowl and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Punch down, shape into a loaf, and place in a greased 8-inch by 4-inch loaf pan. Let rise until doubled again, about 40 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Brush the top with butter while the bread is still warm.

Linda: your post and link?