Thanksgiving is right around the corner, so I thought I’d share a family secret. Good dill bread starts with a good dill dough.

However, I’m the first to admit that when it comes yeasty doughs, especially dill doughs I only have limited experience. Still, I like dill bread, and have a few words of wisdom to pass along.

This dill bread recipe has low-country, southern roots. This is a style of cooking of which many of my readers may be a little dubious. So I decided to grab this dill dough with both hands and demystify a taboo subject. That’s because in my world there’s nothing better than good Dill Bread with Cottage Cheese and Fried Shallots.

This dill bread, or something like it, dates back to my youth– long before I knew anything at all about dill doughs. Still, I loved dill bread growing up. This super fortified version often made an appearance at our Thanksgiving table. I like it warm to the touch and slick with butter.

To get dill bread this good you have to be willing to stuff your dill dough to the hilt. In this version, I’ve included cottage cheese, deep-fried shallots, and of course dill– both the seeds and the dried leaves. There’s also a big spoonful each of dried basil and dried marjoram. This may seem like a lot of additions, but trust me, these supplements will not be an encumbrance. In fact I had no trouble at all getting my dill dough to rise. I never have.

To prove my point I’ve included a couple of photos clearly showing the heights this dill dough can reach. As I said, good dill doughs are the first step getting good dill bread. The kind that will leave you and all your dining partners completely satisfied. GREG