Cottage Cheese Dill Bread
Cottage Cheese Dill Bread is soft, savory, and protein-packed. Dill, cottage cheese, and onion make this bread machine recipe a flavorful favorite.
Last Updated on September 18, 2025 – Originally posted July 21, 2013
This bread recipe was originally developed at sea level. It was most recently tested with a Zojirushi BB-PDC20, the Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus, at an altitude of 3,700 feet. Learn more about the bread machines I own and recommend. I also have an article on high altitudes and your bread machine.
The Man of the House and I used to participate in a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program. Once a week we’d get a variety of veggies fresh from the farm.
One week, along with all the wonderful vegetables, our farm share included fresh dill.
I remembered seeing a recipe for dill bread and thought, “Why not?” The only thing that gave me pause was the cottage cheese in the ingredient list. (Cottage cheese? In bread?)
The bread tasted great toasted and topped with cream cheese. We also used this savory bread in sandwiches.
In fact, this recipe inspired us to plant dill in our own garden. These days, when I bake this bread, the dill comes from our herb garden.
Updated Recipe
This dill bread recipe was originally published in 2013. In 2025, it got a major (and very tasty) update.
First, the name. Cottage cheese is a key part of this recipe, so it seemed only fair to give it top billing. Goodbye Dill Bread, hello Cottage Cheese Dill Bread!
Speaking of cottage cheese, the recipe originally called for cream-style cottage cheese. I had a hard time finding it, so I switched to regular cottage cheese. And because regular cottage cheese doesn’t have as much liquid, the recipe now calls for 2 extra tablespoons of water.
Now for the tasty part! Many readers suggested that what this recipe really needed was a tablespoon of dried minced onion. I tried it and oh my gosh! It’s so, so good with that one addition.
Last, but not least, I increased the amount of dill in the recipe.
Cottage Cheese
First of all, the cottage cheese in this recipe makes this one of the most protein-rich breads on the site. So if you’re looking for a way to get additional protein in your diet, take a look at this recipe.
Now to the making of the bread, I’ve seen some recipes for dill bread that recommend you warm the cottage cheese before adding it to the bread pan. This is because the temperature of the cold cottage cheese might affect the yeast and cause the bread not to rise as much.
If your machine is like my Zojirushi and has a warming cycle, that’s not needed. If your machine doesn’t have a warming or preheat cycle, you’ll want to warm the cottage cheese.
If you like this recipe, check out my collection of herb bread recipes for the bread machine. BTW, the rosemary bread is wonderful!!
Making Cottage Cheese Dill Bread
This makes a two-pound loaf of bread. Use the basic setting with the medium crust option.
Follow the instructions that came with your bread machine in terms of which ingredients to put in the bread machine first. With my bread machine, I add the liquid first.
Speaking of liquids, here’s a little trick I use: I measure the water in a Pyrex measuring cup, then crack the egg right into the same cup. A quick whisk with a fork blends them together, and that way the egg is evenly distributed in the dough.
As I already mentioned, my Zojirushi has a warming cycle. So for my machine I quarter the butter and put it in the corners. Although in this case, I’d added the dill to one of the corners. So one of the pieces of butter is more corner-adjacent.
Check on the dough after five or ten minutes of kneading. It’s especially important with this recipe because of the cottage cheese. Just pop the top of the bread machine and see how the dough is doing. It should be a smooth, round ball. If it looks too dry, add water a teaspoon at a time until it comes together. If it looks too wet, sprinkle in flour a tablespoon at a time until the dough reaches that nice, balanced texture.
Cottage Cheese Dill Bread Recipe for the Bread Machine
Again, this is a recipe for a two-pound bread machine. Use the basic setting with the medium crust option.
1 1/3 cup cottage cheese
1/3 cup plus 2 Tablespoons water
1 egg, beaten
4 cups bread flour
3 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup chopped, fresh dill (OR you can use 4 teaspoons dried dill weed)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 Tablespoon dehydrated minced onion
1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
See below for metric measurements, as well as nutrition information, for this cottage cheese dill bread recipe for the bread machine.
Cottage Cheese Dill Bread
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cup (280 g) cottage cheese
- 1/3 cup (78.86 ml) water
- 2 Tablespoons water - Not a typo, the software won't let me add the water in one line.
- 1 egg - beaten
- 4 cups (500 g) bread flour
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 cup (23.5 g) fresh dill - chopped OR you can use 4 teaspoons dried dill weed
- 1 Tablespoon dehydrated minced onion
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
Instructions
- This makes a two-pound loaf of bread. Use the basic setting with the medium crust option.
- Follow the instructions that came with your bread machine in terms of which ingredients to put in the bread machine first. (With my bread machine, I add the liquid first.)
- Speaking of liquids, here’s a little trick I use: I measure the water in a Pyrex measuring cup, then crack the egg right into the same cup. A quick whisk with a fork blends them together, and that way the egg is evenly distributed in the dough.
- My Zojirushi has a warming cycle. So for my machine I quarter the butter and put it in the corners.
- Check on the dough after five or ten minutes of kneading. It’s especially important with this recipe because of the cottage cheese. Just pop the top of the bread machine and see how the dough is doing. It should be a smooth, round ball. If it looks too dry, add water a teaspoon at a time until it comes together. If it looks too wet, sprinkle in flour a tablespoon at a time until the dough reaches that nice, balanced texture
Notes
Nutrition
All information presented within this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information on breadmachinediva.com should only be used as a general guideline. This information is provided as a courtesy and there is no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate. I try to provide accurate information to the best of my ability; however these figures should still be considered estimates.
can I make the recipe into rolls?
What a great idea! I’ve never done that, but it should work just fine. You’ll just need to figure out the baking time and temperature.
Is the yeast measurement correct? Most of my bread machine recipes call for 2 1/4 tsp or 1 packet yeast.
Yes, it’s correct. 🙂
Would it be OK to substitute Ricotta Cheese for the cottage cheese?
I haven’t tried that, but my guess is that it would work and be delicious! Let me know if you try it.
Hi Marsha
Would you put the dill in along with the flour or would you add it later like when the machine asks you to add seeds?
I’d put it in along with the flour. Then again, I haven’t had much luck with the add beep.
Really great results! Followed directions exactly but agree it needs more dill flavor. I use dried dill weed. Have a second loaf in the machine right now with about double the dill. Dill is our favorite herb so for us, more is better. This bread is great toasted with smoked salmon spread or with cream cheese and lox. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
The recipe I use for a smaller loaf used 1 heaping T of dill seeds and 1 T of dehydrated onion flakes. I think the onion flakes is what really makes it pop. Yum I’ll increase it to 1.5 T of each
Kris, Thanks for the comment about the onion flakes! I’ve changed the recipe to include onion.
Linda, I’ve increased the amount of dill in this recipe. Thanks for the comment!
I’ve made this recipe a couple of times to go with poached salmon and the dill flavor was perfect. I didn’t bake in the machine I baked it flat in the oven with no problem. I find the dill a mild flavor so it was not overwhelming even though there fresh dill sauce and the salmon poached with lemon, dill, onion and wine. It also reheats nicely.
I have garden fresh basil that is a strong flavor that I’m finding difficult to use. Any suggestions?
I love your flavor blends in recipes.
I wanted to make my mom’s dilly bread (casserole version) in my bread machine, but it was for a 1 1/2 # loaf and my machine starts at 2# as it’s smallest size. I knew that would throw off the cycle times, so I tried this 2# recipe. I had to add more water as the cottage cheese seemed on the dry side and it is now baking as I write this. I was unsure when to coat the top with coarse salt, so upon reviewing my mom’s recipe, I realized this recipe does not call for 1 T of onion flakes! The onion and salt topping is what makes this bread pop and mine is already in the bake cycle. I will try sprinkling onion salt and course salt when I remove the bread from the pan. Hope that will help, as the dill is great, but needs the onion to bring out the flavor (at least for me).
Next time I will add 1 T of dry onion flakes to the dough. Ah, nostalgia!
Interesting! How did it turn out?
As feared, the bread definitely lacked in flavor without the dry onion flakes. The addition of salt and onion salt to the crust did not compensate. The loaf did rise beautifully and had a nice soft texture.
If you are trying to regain the flavor of that 1970s era bread that everyone was baking in round glass casserole dishes, be sure and use the dried minced onion flakes, about 1 T. Thank you for your interest!
JP, I’ve tried the recipe with onion flakes and you’re so right! I’ve changed the recipe to include more dill as well as dried onion.
I.have a Hamilton Beach Bread machine. When do I add the cottage cheese for my dill bread recipe
Unless your bread machine manual has any input on this, I’d put the cottage cheese in with the liquid. Hope you like the bread!
I loved this bread. I didn’t have cottage cheese so I substituted sour cream and I added a cup of shredded cheddar cheese. Delicious!
Yum! That sounds great. Thanks for sharing!
I used to make this bread in a casserole about 50 years ago. It’s delicious and you don’t taste the cottage cheese (which I don’t care for). Can’t wait to try it as soon as I figure out how to use my used purchase. How important is the way you add the ingredients to the machine?
Hi Barb, I think that the bread turns out better if you add the ingredients according to the manufacturer’s specifications. I also think it adds to the life of the bread maker.
Usually it is pretty important. I just have a 2# Amazon Basics machine (a gift and it is very good), and as mine is newer, it is liquids first, then dry. I usually put the salt and sugar in liquid before flour, herbs whatever else. Yeast in a depression in flour last of all. But other older machines are like the author’s – ring of salt and ring of sugar over flour before yeast in the depression. The way the machine operates makes the order important, but frankly, I see no real difference.
In mine, the liquid first and dry next. That’s basically the same as author’s except mine was not at all picky about the dry placement. I put the sugar and salt in liquid only because it is then dissolved and not in unmixed pockets of dough. If you can’t find anything online to help you (instructions for almost anything can be found online, even old appliances), just try some test loaves of plain white bread – quick easy and no expensive ingredients. Try author’s machine’s method, then my newer one. See which works best. Easy test.
This has become my family’s favorite bread recipe so far. I “guesstimate” the ingredient amount to make it a 1 lb loaf, and it always turns out great. It’s the perfect bread for a sandwich, or just eat it with butter!
Ooo Dill! Is the dill overwhelming at all? I am not into pickles so I ask. I’ve done Rosemary as well as Basil bread – which gives me the opportunity to use that screamingly expensive local California Olive oil !!! – even making a large enough loaf to freeze (not that I really NEED to you understand!) LOL I love that it can be toasted as I am a big fan of toasting bread and I realllly need to stop making your white bread (http://www.breadmachinediva.com/2012/08/french-herb-bread/) one of these days haha as it’s waaay too good!
I didn’t find the dill overwhelming at all. Although I suppose that’s in the eye of the beholder. 🙂
I really wish you were able to include the reduced ingredients list for a smaller loaf, a 1 pound, or 1-1/2 pound loaf. Normally, I’ll just take the recipe and proportionately divide it to bring it down to a smaller size, which works pretty well. So, even though my machine will produce a two pound loaf, I just don’t want that large a loaf. Many of us out here, are in small households, and would prefer the smaller loaf. Besides, the two-pound loaf slices are too tall for my toaster!
I cut the recipe in half and it works fine for me. I just use the whole egg since I use small eggs. Everything else is pretty easy to do half of for a 1 lb loaf.
This should help. https://www.breadmachinediva.com/converting-bread-machine-recipes-for-differently-sized-machines/