Dill Seed Braid — The Kind of Bread That Makes a House Smell Like Home

Week 563. Year 11. Tommy is 44. Winter quiet. The journal open on the kitchen table. The recipes accumulating. Mama (70) aging, needing more help. The gumbo on the stove because winter demands gumbo the way spring demands crawfish and the demanding is the tradition and the tradition is the life.

Made bread pudding this week — the kind of food that fills the house with the smell of Louisiana and the knowledge that whoever walks through the door is walking into a home where the stove is on and the food is ready and the welcome is unconditional. The meal was the day. The day was the meal. Both were good. Always enough.

The small union-electrician role at the small IBEW Local 995 in Baton Rouge continues to be the small career-spine. The small thirty-year-Local-995-membership has built the small senior-electrician-status. The small commercial-construction-projects are the small steady-work in the small Baton-Rouge-Industrial-Corridor.

The three kids are: Luc (born 2006, the small oldest), Colette (born 2008, the small middle-daughter), Rémy (born 2011, the small youngest). The small Danielle (the small wife, from Lafayette) is the small partner Tommy has built the small Baton-Rouge-life with. The small two-income family-of-five has been the small Baton Rouge middle-class household.

The small Hurricane Katrina (August 2005) destroyed the small Chalmette, Louisiana home where Tommy had grown up. The small twenty-year-anniversary of the small loss is the small ongoing-marker. The small move to Baton Rouge in October 2005 had been the small refugee-from-the-storm displacement. The small Baton Rouge has been the small home for the small twenty years now.

The small Cajun-cooking-tradition is the small kitchen-identity. The small jambalaya, the small gumbo, the small etouffee, the small red-beans-and-rice (on Mondays, the small traditional-Cajun Monday-staple). The small recipes from Maw-Maw Beaumont (Tommy’s grandmother who had been in Chalmette before Katrina, passed in 2014) continue to be the small kitchen-spine.

The small St. Aloysius Catholic Parish congregation is the small Sunday-worship and social-network. The small twenty-year-membership has been the small post-Katrina-rebuild of the small community. The small parish-cookouts, the small parish-bingo, the small parish-school-fundraisers are the small Beaumont-family-engagement.

The small Louisiana-summer-heat-and-humidity is the small weather-reality. The small grilling-and-outdoor-cooking happens in the small early-morning or the small late-evening when the small temperature is bearable. The small Louisiana-spring-and-fall are the small narrow-windows of pleasant cooking-weather.

The small Sunday-publishing-rhythm of the recipe blog continues to be the small organizing-spine of the small week. The small Sunday-cooking happens in the small late-morning-to-early-afternoon window. The small photographing of the finished dish happens at the small three-PM kitchen-light-window. The small writing-up of the recipe happens at the small four-PM workspace at the kitchen-counter. The small final-edit happens at the small five-PM. The small post publishes at seven PM. The small ritual has been running for years.

The small recipe-development-philosophy continues to be the small small-batch-test-then-publish approach. The small first cook of a small new recipe happens on the small Saturday afternoon. The small adjustments are noted in the small kitchen-notebook. The small second cook happens Sunday with the small adjustments incorporated. The small Sunday-cook is the small version that gets photographed and published. The small two-test process catches the small recipe-flaws before they reach the small reader.

The small kitchen-equipment-inventory has the small key-pieces that show up in nearly every recipe. The small heavy-bottomed Dutch oven for the small braises. The small twelve-inch cast-iron skillet for the small sears and the small pan-roasts. The small half-sheet baking-pans for the small roasted vegetables and the small cookies. The small wooden-spoon-collection in the small ceramic-pitcher on the counter. The small chef’s-knife and the small paring-knife and the small bread-knife that are the small daily-tools.

The small grocery-shopping rhythm runs through the small Tuesday-evening trip and the small Saturday-morning top-off. The small Tuesday-trip is the small weekly-stock-up for the small staples and the small produce and the small protein. The small Saturday-trip is the small quick-fill for whatever the small Sunday-recipe requires that is not already in the small pantry. The small two-trip-per-week pattern keeps the small grocery-bill manageable and the small food-waste low.

The small meal-planning happens on the small Sunday-evening for the small week-ahead. The small dinners are mapped out across the small Monday-through-Saturday. The small repeating-meals are slotted in (the small pasta-Monday, the small taco-Tuesday or similar pattern). The small new-recipes are slotted for the small Wednesday-or-Thursday for the small variety. The small planning ahead reduces the small daily what-are-we-making-for-dinner stress.

The small weekday-cooking is the small efficient-and-fast mode. The small Sunday-cooking is the small slow-and-careful mode. The small two-modes serve the small two-different-needs. The small weekday-cooking has to be on the small table within forty-five minutes of getting home from the small work-or-school-pickup. The small Sunday-cooking can take three hours and benefit from every minute of that time.

The small recipe-archive on the small blog has grown to many hundreds of recipes over the years. The small archive is the small searchable-resource for the small weekday-meal-planning. The small reader-feedback in the small comments-section helps refine the small recipes over time. The small note-from-a-reader who tried a small substitution that worked better than the small original gets incorporated into the small recipe-revision.

The small Sunday-cooking-and-writing rhythm is the small thing that has held across years of life-changes and family-events and small ordinary-weekday-disruptions. The small constant is the small Sunday. The small constant is the small recipe. The small constant is the small posting-at-seven-PM ritual. The small constant is the small reader on the other end of the small post who is going to read the small recipe and try the small recipe in the small reader’s own kitchen.

The bread pudding filled the house this week the way only baked things can — that slow, warm smell that says the stove is on and someone is home and the welcome is already there before the door opens. That’s the feeling I keep chasing in the kitchen, and this Dill Seed Braid does the same thing in a different key: a braided loaf with a savory, fragrant pull that makes the whole Baton Rouge house smell like something good is happening. Maw-Maw Beaumont didn’t make this one, but she would have understood it — bread that takes its time, bread that rewards the patience of a Sunday afternoon.

Dill Seed Braid

Prep Time: 25 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 2 hr 25 min (includes rise time) | Servings: 12 slices

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (1 standard packet)
• 1 cup warm water (110°F)
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tbsp dill seeds, divided
• 1 large egg, beaten (for egg wash)
• 1 tbsp whole milk (for egg wash)

Instructions

1. Proof the yeast. Combine warm water, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl. Stir gently and let sit for 5–8 minutes until foamy and fragrant. If the yeast doesn’t foam, start over with fresh yeast.
2. Build the dough. Add the softened butter, salt, and 1 1/2 tablespoons of the dill seeds to the yeast mixture. Add flour one cup at a time, mixing with a dough hook on medium-low (or stirring by hand) until a shaggy dough forms. Knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic. The dough should pull away cleanly from the bowl sides.
3. First rise. Shape the dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and set in a warm, draft-free spot. Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
4. Braid the loaf. Punch down the risen dough and turn it onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into three equal portions. Roll each portion into a rope about 16 inches long. Lay the three ropes parallel on a parchment-lined half-sheet baking pan. Pinch the top ends together firmly and braid the ropes over each other, working down to the bottom. Pinch the bottom ends to seal. Tuck both ends under slightly.
5. Second rise. Cover the braided loaf loosely with the kitchen towel and let rise a second time, about 45 minutes, until noticeably puffed. Preheat your oven to 375°F during the last 15 minutes of this rise.
6. Egg wash and top. Whisk together the beaten egg and milk. Brush the egg wash evenly over the entire surface of the braid using a pastry brush. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of dill seeds across the top.
7. Bake. Bake in the preheated oven for 28–32 minutes, until the braid is deep golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 190°F.
8. Cool and slice. Transfer the braid to a wire rack and let cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing. This bread holds well at room temperature for up to 3 days, wrapped in a clean kitchen towel.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 155 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 3g | Carbs: 28g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 245mg