CARROT BREAD
YOU’VE PROBABLY HAD CARROT CAKE, BUT HAVE YOU TRIED CARROT BREAD?
This delicious bread shares the same benefits as its sweet cousin, with carrots helping to keep it moist, nutritious, and giving it a beautiful golden orange colour and organic stoneground wholemeal spelt flour giving nutrients and a delicious flavour. Baked in a large oven tray and topped with crunchy pumpkin and sunflower seeds, it’s cut into triangles, perfect for snacks, breakfast, or lunch. Plus, it freezes beautifully, so you can enjoy fresh slices whenever you like!
1. MIX THE DOUGH
Prepare the carrots:
Start by grating 3 medium carrots. You don’t need to peel them — just wash and scrub them thoroughly to remove any dirt before grating. The skin adds extra nutrients and colour to your dough.
Place 50 g of butter in a heatproof bowl and melt it in the microwave (about 30–40 seconds, depending on your microwave).
Pour 500 ml of cold milk directly onto the melted butter. Stir briefly, then test the temperature with your finger — it should feel slightly warm or at room temperature, not hot. If it feels hot, let it cool for a few minutes before continuing.
Tip:
Getting the Right Milk Temperature for Yeast Baking: Yeast needs warmth to work, but too much heat can kill it. Be careful! Aim for lukewarm milk—around 39–42°C. Warm milk activates yeast. Helps it grow and makes dough rise. Too hot milk kills yeast! Above 50°C, yeast dies. Cold milk slows yeast: Dough will rise slowly, if you want a slower rise or it is a hot day, using cold milk could be the way to go.
How to get it right. Warm the milk gently on the stove or in the microwave. Use a thermometer if you have one. No thermometer? Test with your finger—it should feel nothing or just a little warm, not hot!
2. KNEAD THE DOUGH
Pour the butter–milk mixture into a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer). Add Bag a and stir until the contents are fully dissolved and smooth.Mix in 20 g of oil and the grated carrots. Stir until evenly combined. Gradually add Bag I while kneading with dough hooks on medium speed (or by hand). Knead for about 8 minutes, until the dough becomes smooth and elastic and starts to come away from the sides of the bowl.
Tip:
If you’re kneading the dough by hand, keep a small bowl of water nearby and dip your fingers in it occasionally while working the dough. This helps prevent it from sticking to your hands and makes kneading much easier.
3. LET THE DOUGH RISE
Cover the bowl with a large plate or a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise for 1 hour at room temperature, or until doubled in size.
Tip:
The rising time will vary depending on your kitchen’s temperature, so keep an eye on your dough rather than watching the clock.
4. PUT DOUGH IN THE PAN
Preheat the oven and prepare the tray: Preheat your oven to 200 °C (or 180 °C fan-forced). Line a large, deep baking tray with baking paper so the dough doesn’t stick and cleanup is easier.
Dust your hands lightly with a little flour from Bag f and rub it over your palms and fingers. This prevents the dough from sticking while you shape it.
Tip the prepared dough into the lined tray. Using your floured hands, press and gently pull the dough, spreading it evenly to reach all corners of the pan. Take your time to make sure it’s evenly distributed so it bakes uniformly.
Tip:
If the dough resists stretching, let it rest for a minute — this relaxes the gluten and makes it easier to spread without tearing.
5. CUT TRIANGLES
With a dough scraper or knife dipped in flour from bag f, cut the dough once lengthwise down the middle, then make 7 diagonal zigzag cuts across one half to form 8 triangles; repeat on the other half so you have 16 triangles in total. Brush the dough with milk, sprinkle with the seeds from bag j, cover, and let rise for another 30 minutes.
6. IF IT IS A COLD DAY
Put the tray in a cold oven, then place a cup of boiling water in the bottom of the oven and close the oven. This creates a little steam room for your loaves and will make them rise faster.
7. BAKE YOUR BREAD
Brush the dough with milk, sprinkle with the seeds from bag j. Bake in the middle of the oven for 35–40 minutes, until golden brown and baked through. Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack.