About the Recipe
This brine came out of the food lab after a few experiments with basic ingredients. My mom used to make dill pickles every year from fresh cucumbers she grew in her own garden. However, I always found mom's pickles a little too salty for my taste. I kept that in mind when coming up with this brine recipe. I love it, I think mom would have loved it and I hope you do too.
Ingredients
Directions (for a 1 liter jar). For every extra jar, repeat the ingredients.
2 ¾ cups of cold water
1 cup of white vinegar
2 teaspoons of pickling salt
1 tablespoon of mustard seeds
6 peppercorns
1 small clove of garlic, coarsely chopped (optional)
1 bay leaf
¼ teaspoon of caraway seeds (optional)
20-25 grams of fresh dill (you can double or triple this for a more pronounced dill flavor)
Alternatively, you can use 15 grams of dill seeds. Dill seeds have a much more pronounced flavor than the fresh dill branches.
Preparation
In a small saucepot, combine all the ingredients.
Bring to a boil over medium heat and let it boil for 2-3 minutes.
Add:
20-25 grams of fresh dill (Add more if you like). Alternatively, you can use 15 grams of dill seeds or a combination of both. The dill seeds are much more flavorful than the branches.
You do not have to chop the dill branches, leave them whole.
Let the brine boil for 2 more minutes then remove from heat and allow it to cool to room temperature.
Once the brine has cooled, refrigerate it for 4-5 days to allow the spice flavors to come through.
Once the brine has had 4-5 days to mature, filter out all the spices using a fine mesh strainer and store it in jars until you are ready to make pickles.
If you prefer, you can remove only the dill branches and leave the garlic, peppercorns and mustard seeds in the brine. The dill branches become unsightly within a short period of time so the jarred pickles look better if you remove them.
When you are making pickles, bring the brine to a boil before adding it to jars.
Click on the link below for the basics on how to make pickles.
