XXX Mimi

Despite what you are about to read let me make it perfectly clear that this is a family friendly site. Some of the words only sound X-Rated but by the time you get to the end of this post you will quickly realize that we actually have a G-Rating for Gee that's hilarious!
My great aunt Mimi use to love dill bread toasted, she use to get a packaged brand from the grocery store. Then when that became hard to find we found this sliced rye bread that was seasoned with dill which wasn't too bad. I enjoyed the dill toast as well and would usually join her for a slice or two. I noticed that my aunt was really longing for the plain dill bread that she use to get but it turned out the company had stopped making it. I had said; " Mimi we could probably just make it ourselves it's basically just a white bread with some dill weed and dill seed in it". Mimi said; "I don't know sweetheart, I have never used a dill dough before you may have to work with the dill dough by yourself".
The moral of the story.....You do not need four hands to work with a dill dough, according to my aunt Mimi two hands are all you need to make a dill dough rise!

Dill Bread

1 package of dry yeast (1 tbsp.)
1/2 c. warm water (105-115 degrees)
3 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. dried dill seed or 3 tbsp. of fresh
1 tbsp. dried dill weed or 3 tbsp. of fresh
1 c. evaporated milk
2 tbsp. melted butter
1 tsp. salt
3 to 3 1/2 c. all purpose flour
2 Tbsp. of Melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Dissolve yeast in warm water in large bowl. Stir in 1 tablespoon sugar, dill seed, and dill weed. Let mixture stand at room temperature until bubbly, about 15 minutes. Stir in remaining sugar, milk, 2 tablespoons melted butter and salt. Stir in flour to make a stiff dough. (Dough will be sticky.)
Grease bread pan with Pam. Knead dough and place in pan, covering with waxed paper. Let stand in warm place until dough rises about 1 1/2 inches, about 30 minutes or more if dough hasn't risen enough. Bake until brown, about 35 minutes. Brush top with melted butter. Remove bread and cool on rack.

Let's Do The Twist

There is something so comforting about the smell of warm yeasty dough proofing in the kitchen. I remember when kneading dough was our daily way of muscle building. You did not need free weights back then, just a good deal of elbow grease and the pleasure derived from making something from scratch to serve to family and friends. This is a recipe the kids will have fun rolling up their sleeves for; let them twist their pretzels into whatever shapes that they like. They will still taste wonderful no matter what the shape and there will be plenty of smiles to go around for such a special time shared.


Soft Pretzels

1 pkg. dry yeast
1 1/4 c. warm water
2 tsp. salt
4-5 c. unsifted white flour
Approx. 1 tbsp. soft butter
4 tsp. baking soda
kosher salt

Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water. When foamy add rest of water. Mix 4 cups flour and salt in large bowl. Add dissolved yeast. Add enough flour to make a stiff dough. Knead 10 minutes or until dough feels elastic. Knead dough into a ball, place in a bowl and spread with butter. Cover with a dish towel. Let rise in warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes. Pinch off small ball of dough and roll between your hands to form a coil 20 inches long and 1/4 inch in diameter.
Form into a pretzel, wetting ends and pinching them together firmly. Form rest of dough the same way. Put baking soda in 4 cups of water in a pot and bring to a boil. Drop one pretzel at a time into boiling water and let boil 1 minute or until it floats. Remove and drain. Place drained pretzels on greased cookie sheet. Spread with coarse salt. Bake at 475 degrees for about 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Don't Stress Over Strudel

Who doesn’t love a good strudel but making a true strudel dough and rolling it out can be extremely labor intensive. Making strudel is such a culinary art form; I put it right up there with the small percentage of bakers who still make their own Phyllo dough. I have actually made strudel the traditional way, it was difficult to say the least but worth every last bite when it was done. I just don’t have the time or enough space in my kitchen to accommodate making strudel the old fashioned way. So here is a recipe for a very simple strudel dough where you make 4 smaller strudels (a little thicker than traditional) from one recipe. This dough is light, buttery and delicious, plus you do not require a huge surface for rolling out the dough. The fillings can be altered to whatever ingredients you prefer. You may also change this from a sweet strudel to a savory one just by adding meat or vegetables instead.

Helpful Tip - If you are really strapped for time just use store bought phyllo dough.


Less stress strudel

1/2 lb. butter
1 sm. carton commercial sour cream
2 cups flour
1 cup jam – any flavor you like. I usually do raspberry or apricot
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts
powdered sugar

Blend together butter and sour cream; mix in flour to make a soft dough. Separate into 4 equal balls. Wrap in saran wrap or waxed paper. Refrigerate 1 hour.
Mix jam, raisins and nuts. Roll each ball of pastry about 1/2 inch thick. Roll up jelly roll fashion and lay on ungreased sheet. Bake in preheated oven, 350 degrees, about 40 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered (confectioners') sugar and slice to serve.