Dilly Rolls -- The Bread We'll Bake When Carol Comes Over

The last week of January and February is tomorrow. February is not February in Vermont until the second week, when you understand there is still a full month of winter remaining. But the light is returning — visibly, measurably, a few minutes at each end of the day — and the light is the indicator. Not warmth yet. Just the knowledge that warmth is coming in its time.

I started the tomato seedlings this week. The saved Brandywine seeds went under the grow lights on Thursday, in the seed trays with the heating mat beneath. They won't germinate for another week. There's something about this act — this specific February act, done every year, the tiny seeds going into the trays, the long wait beginning — that I find more orienting than almost anything else in the year. You're planting what will be August. In February. That's a form of faith that has practical consequences.

Made white bean soup with the last of the smoked ham hock I'd had in the freezer. The long-cooked bean soup, simple and deeply satisfying — beans and ham and celery and thyme, hours on the stove, eaten with good bread for three days. The kind of food that winter requires: not elaborate, not impressive, just right for the moment it inhabits.

Carol is coming for Sunday dinner tomorrow with her sourdough starter, which is three weeks old and apparently vigorous. We're going to bake together. She said: bring your starter too and we'll compare notes. I said: mine is five years old. She said: show-off. I said: bring your bread.

Carol was bringing her sourdough, and I was bringing mine, but what actually ended up on the table alongside that last pot of white bean and ham soup — the one that fed us for three days and asked nothing of us but patience — were these dilly rolls. There’s a moment in February when you want bread that’s a little herby, a little soft, a little celebratory in a quiet way, and dill is exactly the right note for that. Something about the green of it feels like a small gesture toward the seedlings sitting under the grow lights in the other room.

Dilly Rolls

Prep Time: 20 minutes + 1 hour 30 minutes rise | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes | Servings: 12 rolls

Ingredients

• 1 package (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water (105–115°F)
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp dried dill weed (or 2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped)
• 1 tsp dill seed (optional, for extra flavor)
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 tbsp butter, melted (for brushing)

Instructions

1. Proof the yeast. In a small bowl, combine warm water, sugar, and yeast. Stir gently and let sit for 5–10 minutes until foamy. If it doesn’t foam, your yeast may be old — start again with a fresh packet.
2. Mix the dough. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, dill weed, and dill seed if using. Add the softened butter, egg, and the foamy yeast mixture. Stir until a shaggy dough forms.
3. Knead. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 7–8 minutes until smooth and elastic, adding flour a tablespoon at a time if the dough is sticky. It should be soft but not tacky.
4. First rise. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
5. Shape the rolls. Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth ball and place in a greased 9x13-inch baking pan or on a parchment-lined sheet pan, spacing them close together for soft sides.
6. Second rise. Cover loosely and let rise another 25–30 minutes, until puffed and touching each other slightly.
7. Bake. Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake rolls for 18–22 minutes, until golden brown on top and cooked through. An instant-read thermometer inserted in the center should read 190°F.
8. Finish. Remove from the oven and immediately brush the tops with melted butter. Let cool for at least 5 minutes before pulling apart. Serve warm alongside soup or with good butter.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 120 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 3g | Carbs: 20g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 200mg