Classic Bread and Butter Pickles

Name: Classic Bread and Butter Pickles
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 32 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3 lb (1360 g) pickling cucumbers (Kirby), scrubbed, ends trimmed (remove ⅛ inch from the blossom end), cut into ¼-inch (6 mm) slices; 4 cups (520 g) yellow onions, about 4 medium onions, peeled, halved and thinly sliced (⅛ inch / 3 mm); ¼ cup (70 g) canning and pickling salt; 8 cups (1000 g) crushed ice, plus more as needed; 2 cups (480 ml) apple cider vinegar, 5% acidity; 2¼ cups (450 g) granulated sugar; 1 tablespoon (10 g) yellow mustard seed; 2¼ teaspoons (5 g) celery seed; 1½ teaspoons (4 g) ground turmeric

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Crisp cucumber and onion slices are salted over ice, then simmered briefly in a sweet-tangy cider vinegar brine with mustard seed, celery seed and turmeric. They're sealed in a boiling-water canner so they keep on the shelf all year.

Prep: 45 min
Cook: 35 min
Wait: 15 hr 5 min
Total: 16 hr 25 min
Makes: 4 pints (about 32 servings of ¼ cup each)

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Ingredients

32 servings

For the vegetables
3 lb (1360 g) pickling cucumbers (Kirby), scrubbed, ends trimmed (remove ⅛ inch from the blossom end), cut into ¼-inch (6 mm) slices
4 cups (520 g) yellow onions, about 4 medium onions, peeled, halved and thinly sliced (⅛ inch / 3 mm)
¼ cup (70 g) canning and pickling salt
8 cups (1000 g) crushed ice, plus more as needed
For the brine
2 cups (480 ml) apple cider vinegar, 5% acidity
2¼ cups (450 g) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon (10 g) yellow mustard seed
2¼ teaspoons (5 g) celery seed
1½ teaspoons (4 g) ground turmeric

Equipment (10)

Boiling-water canner with rack (or a deep stockpot with a rack, deep enough to cover jars by 1 inch / 2.5 cm)
4 pint (473 ml) canning jars with new two-piece lids and bands
Jar lifter
Canning funnel (wide-mouth)
Large bowl or food-safe container (at least 6 qt / 6 L)
Large non-reactive pot (6–8 qt / 6–8 L), stainless steel or enameled
Colander
Sharp knife or mandoline for ¼-inch (6 mm) slices
Bubble remover or thin non-metal spatula
Clean towel for cooling jars

Steps

Before you start

Buy pickling (Kirby) cucumbers and use them within 24 hours of picking or buying. Large slicing cucumbers turn soft.
Use vinegar labeled 5% acidity and don't reduce the vinegar or sugar. The acidity makes the pickles safe to can.
Wash 4 pint jars and keep them hot. Use new lids and check that the rims have no chips.
This recipe is tested for altitudes up to 1,000 ft (300 m). At higher altitudes, use the longer processing time in step 8.
Plan for a 3-hour salting and chilling step, plus 12 hours of undisturbed cooling after canning.

1
Heat canner and jars
- Set the rack in the canner and add the 4 pint jars.
- Fill the canner and jars with water until the jars are covered by 1 inch (2.5 cm).
- Cover and bring to a simmer over high heat, then reduce the heat to keep the water hot (about 180°F / 82°C).
- Put the lids in a small saucepan of hot water over low heat, not boiling, and keep the bands nearby.
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Ready when: Water is steaming and very hot with small bubbles at the bottom of the pot.
Tip: Hot jars are less likely to crack when you fill them with hot pickles.
2
Slice the vegetables
- Trim ⅛ inch (3 mm) from the blossom end of each cucumber, because it contains enzymes that soften pickles.
- Cut the cucumbers into even ¼-inch (6 mm) slices and thinly slice the onions.
- Place both in a large bowl.
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Ready when: Slices are uniform in thickness, about 8–9 cups of cucumber and 4 cups of onion.
Tip: A mandoline makes even slices quickly. Uneven slices cook unevenly and some will turn soft.
3
Salt and chill on ice
- Sprinkle the pickling salt over the cucumbers and onions and toss well.
- Cover the vegetables with about 2 inches (5 cm) of crushed ice, about 8 cups.
- Refrigerate for 3 hours, adding more ice if it melts and the vegetables are no longer covered.
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Ready when: The slices look slightly translucent and there is a pool of cold liquid in the bowl.
Tip: Use pickling salt or plain salt without anti-caking agents or iodine. Those make the brine cloudy and can darken the pickles.
4
Drain and rinse
- Tip the vegetables into a large colander and discard any unmelted ice.
- Rinse them under cold running water for about 1 minute, tossing with your hands, to remove surface salt.
- Drain well for 5 minutes, shaking the colander occasionally.
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Ready when: The slices taste lightly salty, not briny, and no puddle of water is left in the colander.
Tip: Don't skip the rinse or the pickles will be too salty.
5
Simmer the brine
- In the large non-reactive pot, combine the cider vinegar, sugar, mustard seed, celery seed and turmeric.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
- Reduce the heat to medium and boil gently for 10 minutes.
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Ready when: The sugar is fully dissolved and the brine is bright yellow, with spices swirling in it.
Tip: Turmeric stains. Wipe spills right away and use a non-reactive pot (no aluminum or cast iron).
6
Reheat the vegetables
- Add the drained cucumbers and onions to the brine.
- Stir gently and bring back to a boil over medium-high heat, which will take about 5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat as soon as the brine boils again.
- Don't boil them any longer.
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Ready when: The cucumber slices change from bright green to an olive-green color and the brine is boiling again.
Tip: Overcooking makes the pickles limp. Heat them just until the brine returns to a boil.
7
Fill the jars
- Remove a hot jar from the canner and empty the water back into the pot.
- Place the funnel in the jar and pack in the hot vegetables with a slotted spoon, then ladle in hot brine to cover them, leaving ½ inch (1.25 cm) headspace.
- Slide the bubble remover around the inside of the jar to release air pockets, then add more brine if needed to restore ½ inch headspace.
- Wipe the rim with a clean damp cloth, center a lid on the jar and screw the band on until it is fingertip-tight.
- Repeat for all 4 jars.
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Ready when: Each jar has ½ inch headspace, vegetables are submerged and the rims are clean.
Tip: Fingertip-tight means tightening only until you feel resistance, then no further. Air needs to escape during processing.
8
Process in the canner
- Use the jar lifter to set the jars on the canner rack, making sure the water covers them by 1 inch (2.5 cm).
- Cover the canner, bring the water to a full rolling boil over high heat, then start timing.
- Process pint jars for 10 minutes at 0–1,000 ft (0–300 m), or 15 minutes at 1,001–6,000 ft (300–1,800 m), and 20 minutes above 6,000 ft.
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Ready when: Water stays at a steady rolling boil for the whole processing time.
Tip: If the boil stops, bring it back to a full boil and restart the timer from the beginning.
9
Rest in the canner
- Turn off the heat, remove the canner lid and let the jars sit in the hot water for 5 minutes.
- This helps prevent siphoning (brine escaping from the jars).
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Ready when: The water has stopped boiling and the jars are still.
10
Cool undisturbed
- Lift the jars straight up, without tilting, and set them on a towel-lined counter at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart, away from drafts.
- Leave them alone for 12 hours.
- Don't tighten the bands and don't press on the lids.
- You may hear the lids pop as they seal.
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Ready when: Lids are concave and don't flex when pressed in the center.
Tip: Don't tilt the jars, as that can disturb the seal.
11
Check seals and store
- After 12 hours, press the center of each lid.
- A sealed lid is firm and curved down and doesn't move.
- Remove the bands, then lift each jar by the lid edge to confirm it holds.
- Wipe the jars, label them with the date, and store in a cool, dark place.
- Refrigerate any jar that didn't seal and use it within 4 weeks.
- Wait at least 1 week before opening so the flavors can develop.
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Ready when: Lid is concave, doesn't flex and holds when lifted by its edge.
Tip: Store jars without the bands. A band can hide a failed seal.

Good to know

Tips

Chill the cucumbers before slicing to make them crisper.
Keep the slices at an even ¼ inch (6 mm) thick. Thicker slices stay crunchier but take longer to take on flavor.
Don't reduce the sugar or vinegar to adjust the taste, because that changes the acidity needed for safe canning.
Wipe the jar rims carefully. Even a small amount of brine or spice on the rim can prevent a good seal.

Make ahead

You can salt the cucumbers and onions in the refrigerator for up to 4 hours before cooking. The pickles also taste best after 1 week in the jar and keep improving for up to 3–4 weeks.

Storage & reheating

Properly sealed jars keep in a cool, dark pantry for up to 12 months for the best quality. After opening, refrigerate and eat within 1 month. Unsealed jars must be refrigerated and eaten within 4 weeks. These pickles don't freeze well because they turn soft.

Substitutions

apple cider vinegar, 5% acidity → white distilled vinegar, 5% acidity. Gives a sharper, cleaner flavor and a brighter yellow color. Use the same amount.
yellow onions → sweet onions such as Vidalia. Milder and sweeter. Use the same weight.
canning and pickling salt → fine sea salt without additives. Use the same weight (70 g). Don't use measuring cups for other salts, as grain size differs.
celery seed → dill seed. Gives a slightly different herbal flavor. Use the same amount.