Bread and butter pickles

Ingredients

Vegetables

• 1.5 kgpickling cucumbers, in 5 mm slices
• 500 gonions, sliced thin
• 60 gcoarse non-iodised salt
• a tray of ice cubes

Syrup

• 600 mlcider vinegar
• 500 gsugar
• 2 tbspyellow mustard seed
• 1 tbspcelery seed
• 1 tspground turmeric
• ½ tspground cloves
• 1 tspblack peppercorns

Directions

1. Slice the cucumbers 5 mm thick — thinner and they go floppy, thicker and the syrup never reaches the middle.
2. Layer the cucumber and onion slices with the salt in a large bowl and bury a tray of ice cubes through the layers.
3. Leave three hours. The ice is the trick that makes these pickles snap: it keeps the vegetables cold while the salt draws water out, and cold cell walls stay firm where warm ones collapse.
4. Drain thoroughly and rinse once, then drain again and press out the last of the water.
5. Bring the vinegar, sugar and all the spices to a boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
6. Add the drained cucumber and onion and bring back to a bare simmer — then take the pan straight off the heat.
7. The moment the syrup returns to a simmer is the moment to stop. Two minutes more and the slices go limp; this is a hot-pack pickle, not a cooked one.
8. Pack into hot sterilised jars, cover with the hot syrup, and seal at once.
9. For shelf storage, process the sealed jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
10. Leave two weeks before opening. They keep a year sealed, a month in the fridge once opened.
11. Eat with sandwiches, burgers and cold ham, or with cheese on crackers.

Technique

• Ice through the salting layers.
• Off the heat the moment it simmers.
• Two weeks in the jar before opening.

Substitutions

• White vinegar for a sharper, paler pickle.
• Green tomatoes or courgette in place of some of the cucumber.
• Less sugar for a tarter jar, though the sweetness is the point of the name.

Variations

• The dill version, which drops the sugar entirely.
• Chopped into tartare sauce and potato salad.

History

Named in the 1920s by Illinois growers who traded the sweet pickles for bread and butter during hard times.

Frequently asked questions

What is Bread and butter pickles?

Bread and butter pickles is a fermented & pickled from United States: cucumber and onion slices in sweet-sour turmeric brine, eaten with sandwiches. Named in the 1920s by Illinois growers who traded the sweet pickles for bread and butter during hard times.

How long does Bread and butter pickles take to make?

Bread and butter pickles takes 30 min plus 3 hours salting of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes fills 4 × 500 ml jars. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Bread and butter pickles?

Yes, within limits. White vinegar for a sharper, paler pickle. Green tomatoes or courgette in place of some of the cucumber. Less sugar for a tarter jar, though the sweetness is the point of the name.

What is the most important thing to get right in Bread and butter pickles?

Slice the cucumbers 5 mm thick — thinner and they go floppy, thicker and the syrup never reaches the middle.