From Better Homes and Gardens via the late Peggy Gjertsen, who brought the bread to a SAS recipe exchange pot-luck in the very early years of the company. Said Peggy (or maybe Better Homes and Gardens) on the recipe card, “A perfect partner for salads or soups.”
I love this bread in part because of the large amount of dill seed and dill weed used. You could substitute whole-wheat flour for up to half of the white flour and it would still be delicious.
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
¼ cup warm water
2 ¾ – 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup sour cream
1 egg
1 small onion, finely chopped (1/4 cup)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon dill seed
1 tablespoon dill weed
1 teaspoon salt
1 beaten egg yolk
In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in the ¼ cup warm water. Stir in 1 cup of the flour, the sour cream, egg, onion, sugar, butter, dill seed, dill weed, and salt. Beat by hand until well blended. Stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can mix in with a spoon. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough. Continue kneading dough 5-8 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease surface. Cover; let rise in a warm place, 1 ¼ to 1 ½ hours or until double. Punch down, divide into three equal pieces. Cover; let rise 10 minutes.
On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece of dough to an 18-inch-long rope. Place the three ropes side by side on a large baking sheet; braid ropes loosely from the center to ends. Press rope ends together to seal. Cover; let rise in a warm place about 30 minutes or until nearly double. Combine the egg yolk and 2 teaspoons water; brush atop loaf. Bake in a 350°F oven for 35-40 minutes or until golden and loaf sounds hollow when lightly tapped.