Don't Throw Out Pickle Juice — Why You Should Add It To Bread Dough Instead

If you're a pickle lover, you're probably looking for any excuse to add one to your meal, whether it's a spear to accompany a lunchtime sandwich or stirring pickle relish into this deviled egg salad recipe. Don't discount the pickle juice though! It will come in handy in more ways than you think, adding that zingy briny flavor we love about pickles to everything from pickle juice martinis to salad dressings. We interviewed chef Billy Parisi, owner of Parisi's Italian Kitchen in Crown Point, Indiana, who recommends adding pickle juice to bread dough.

According to chef Parisi, "adding pickle juice will help add some natural salts, some sugars, and some tenderness to the crumb due to the vinegar." If you've ever looked at the ingredients list on the back of a bottle of Claussen pickles, the pickling liquid consists of vinegar, salt, a dash of sugar from high-fructose corn syrup, spices, and herbs. Not only does this trifecta of sweet, salty, and tangy bring a pickle flavor to the bread, but the vinegar itself will guarantee a fluffier, lighter crumb because it impedes gluten formation. By hindering gluten development, you get a more elastic dough that's easier to work with and a more tender crumb. Chef Parasi told us to add pickle juice to "non sweet breads like sourdough, rye, white, boules, etc." A briney tang will enhance the sourness of sourdough and rye, as well as complement the savory yeastiness of a white loaf or crusty boule.

Chef Parisi explains how to incorporate pickle juice into a bread recipe. He says, "It can be used as the main hydration ingredient, or you'll get plenty of flavor if it's only 30% of the total liquid. You would add it to your dough at the same point you would use any liquid like water or milk, only don't cut it with milk because there's a good chance it'll curdle."

In our pickle juice bread recipe, the pickle juice accounts for nearly 100% of the total liquid. We use pickle juice instead of water to combine with yeast and sugar as the foundation of our bread recipe. Warm water activates dry yeast, helping it to consume sugar and bubble into its full potential as a leavening agent. So if you're using pickle juice instead of water, it's important to warm the pickle juice before mixing it with yeast. You don't have to swap all the water for pickle juice, either. For that matter, you don't have to use dry active yeast. You can make a quick-rising bread, like a savory pound cake or even cornbread with pickle juice. Despite curdling dairy, pickle juice would work well in a bread recipe that uses sour cream or buttermilk for moisture, fluffiness, and an extra zingy flavor. Stir diced pickles into quick bread batter or fold them into yeasty bread dough. Pickles and cheese are a classic pairing, so try adding shredded cheddar cheese into the mix.