How Do I Make Bread And Butter Pickles?

“Hey! I just picked a mountain of cucumbers from my garden this week, and I’ve been thinking of making my own bread and butter pickles. I’m totally new to pickling, though — I don’t want to mess it up, but also don’t have all the fancy equipment some people use. Any easy advice for someone like me? Also, what can I do if my pickles turn out too sweet or too sour? Help!” Thanks, Karen, Portland, USA.

How Do I Make Bread And Butter Pickles?

Bread and butter pickles are actually one of the friendliest introductions to preserving your own food at home — and let me tell you, Karen, it’s a lot easier than you’d think! Whether you’re overrun with cucumbers this year or you just love the taste of a sweet, tangy crunch on your sandwiches, these pickles are a great way to get started with home canning. I mean, they’re a staple in my pantry during summer and fall, and you can use them on nearly anything — or just eat them straight out of the jar. (Totally guilty of that!)

What Are Bread and Butter Pickles?

So, let’s rewind a bit first, Karen — just what are bread and butter pickles, and why are they so popular? These bad boys are sweet, tangy, and a little bit spicy, depending on how much you like to play around with spices. They’re made with thinly sliced cucumbers (often with onions thrown in) and packed in a vinegar and sugar brine. The “bread and butter” name doesn’t actually come from spreading these pickles on bread with butter (though, not a bad idea?) — instead, it comes from the fact that during the Great Depression, pickles like these, along with bread and butter, were cheap staples in many homes.

What You’ll Need for Bread and Butter Pickles

Now, you mentioned not having all the fancy equipment, Karen, and guess what? You absolutely do not need a ton of gadgets to make delicious pickles at home! Here’s a simple list to get started:

• Mason jars or other canning jars – These are classic and reusable, though if you don’t have canning jars, you can still keep your pickles in clean, airtight containers in the fridge (though they won’t last as long).
• A large pot – For sterilizing your jars and canning if you’re going down that road.
• Sharp knife or mandolin – For slicing your cucumbers nice and thin. A mandolin will give you those perfect, even slices, but a good knife works just fine too.
• Basic pickling ingredients – Cucumbers (obviously) and your vinegar, sugar, water, mustard seeds, celery seeds, turmeric, and crushed red pepper for that kick (optional, of course).

Important Tip: When selecting cucumbers, go for the younger, small pickling cukes or slicing cucumbers — the ones without too many seeds. Those big, oversized cucumbers can get a bit too watery and seedy for good pickles.

Step-by-Step Recipe for Bread and Butter Pickles

Let’s break down the typical process for making these delightful pickles.

Step 1: Prepping the Cucumbers and Onions

Start by washing your cucumbers really well. If they’re fresh from the garden like yours, Karen, they might have a little dirt on them. Then, slice them thin — about 1/4 inch thick is ideal. If you like a thicker slice, go for it — I usually stick with 1/4 inch since they brine better and have a nice crunch.

I also love to add onions. Just thinly slice one or two onions (yellow or sweet varieties work great). The onions will soak up the brine and get deliciously sweet and tangy right along with the cucumbers.

Step 2: Salt the Cucumbers

Before we get to the pickling part, grab a bowl or colander and sprinkle your sliced cucumbers with salt (kosher or sea salt is perfect). The salt will pull out excess water and give the cucumbers a better crunch in the final product. I like to toss the cucumbers with salt, let them sit for about 1 hour, and then rinse them with cold water.

A Quick Shortcut: Sometimes I skip the salting step, especially when I’m low on time. The pickles still turn out tasty, but they won’t be quite as crisp. So don’t worry too much if you feel like skipping this step, Karen!

Step 3: Making the Brine

Okay, now into the heart of things — the brine! Mix together the following ingredients in a pot:

• 2 cups of white vinegar (5% acidity is best)
• 2 cups of sugar (if you’re afraid these will be too sweet, feel free to reduce the sugar by a 1/2 cup)
• 1/4 cup of water
• 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon celery seeds
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric (for that iconic yellow color)
• If you like things a little spicy, toss in some crushed red pepper flakes — just a pinch or two will give it a nice heat.

Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar. Once it’s simmering, you’re all set. It’ll start smelling amazing — sweet, tangy, and spicy all at once!

Step 4: Packing the Jars

Now, grab your cucumbers (rinse the salt off, if you salted them) and onions, and start packing them tightly into clean jars. Then, carefully ladle the hot brine over the cucumbers and onions, making sure they’re fully submerged in the liquid. I recommend leaving about 1/2 inch of space at the top of the jar to allow for expansion while they process.

Step 5: The Waiting Game (and Canning)

If you’re making refrigerator pickles — that is, pickles you’ll just store in the fridge — pop the lid on, let them cool down, and refrigerate them. They’ll be ready to eat in 24 hours but taste better after a week or so. Just try to be patient, Karen!

If you’re aiming for a longer shelf life, you’ll need to process the jars using the water bath canning method. Here’s how:

• Boil a large pot of water, making sure water covers the tops of your jars by at least an inch or two.
• Place the filled and sealed jars in the boiling water bath.
• Leave them in there for about 10-15 minutes (adjust according to altitude).
• Remove carefully with tongs, let them cool completely on the counter, and listen for that satisfying “pop” as the lids seal.

And there you have it — you’ve preserved your very own cucumbers into tasty bread and butter pickles!

Troubleshooting Common Pickle Problems

Too Sweet, Too Sour, or Both?

If you find that your pickles are too sweet or sour after you’ve already made them, don’t worry too much, Karen! Taste is subjective, and there’s often an easy fix.

• If they’re too sweet, the next time you make a batch, simply reduce the sugar and increase the vinegar just a touch. If you’re already stuck with sweet pickles this round, try adding them to savory dishes where the sweetness will work to your advantage (e.g., a tangy BBQ sauce or a salad).
• If they’re too sour, you can usually balance it out with some sweet onions in the jar or, next time, reduce the vinegar by 1/4 cup and add a bit more sugar.

Pickles Are Mushy

Mushy pickles are the bane of every pickle lover’s existence! There are a few reasons why they might end up with that less-than-ideal texture:

• Skipping or moving too quickly through the salting step may cause too much water to stay in the cucumbers, leading to mushiness.
• Using the wrong cucumbers — long, seedy slicing cucumbers can make for softer pickles. Pickling cucumbers — small and firm — work best.
• If the cucumbers are overripe, they’ll be softer and not hold up as well to pickling.

So, if mushy pickles plague your recipes — don’t worry. Next time, try smaller, younger cucumbers and don’t rush through the process.

Variations You Can Try

Once you get comfortable with the basic recipe, you can start playing around a bit. Here are some fun tweaks:

• Garlic Bread and Butter Pickles: Toss a few peeled garlic cloves into the mix for a flavorful twist — so good on sandwiches, Karen!
• Zucchini Pickles: Swap out cucumbers for zucchini; slice them similarly and follow the same steps. It’s a delicious way to use up an over-abundance of summer squash.
• Spicy Bread and Butter Pickles: If you’ve got a heat-loving household, add in red pepper flakes with abandon.

Final Thoughts…

Thanks again for sending in such a great question, Karen! Making bread and butter pickles is such a fun way to preserve the taste of your garden harvest — I hope this helps make the process a little less intimidating for you. Just follow the steps, don’t sweat the small stuff, and soon enough, you’ll be stacking these pickles on sandwiches and sneaking a jar or two into family and friends’ pantries as gifts. Happy pickling!