Carrot Loaf - Quick Bread

Origin

Instead of doing the origin of carrot loaf specifically we’re going to talk about quick breads (although I think we could tie carrot quick bread to the history we talked about it the mundane section of our carrot spotlight!) A quick bread is any bread that uses chemical leavening instead or organic leavening. Leavening is the fermenting and/or rising of dough. This means quick breads require less skill and also use ingredients that don't spoil as quickly (before they are in the dough of course.) The popularity of quick breads in North America today probably comes from the discovery (or rediscovery) of chemical leavening agents at the end of the 18th century but really took hold in 1846 because of arm and hammer, baking soda, being commercially introduced in New York and was further rooted in 1856 by the commercial production of baking powder in Massachusetts. Being that these leavening agents aren't thrown by environmental changes they became popular especially during wartime as they were quicker and required less skill to make.

Ingredients
all link on ingredients are to the ingredient spotlight posts of this blog

1 cup shredded carrot (about 2 medium carrots)
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp cardamom (optional, can also sub clove, allspice or nutmeg)
¼ cup milk
¾ cup oil
1 tsp vanilla

Optional nuts ( no more than ¾ cup)

Tools

Grater (or food processor)
Bowl x2
Wet and dry measures
A spoon
9x5 loaf pan

Directions
I missed some pictures this week; I'm sorry. When I make this again in the future I will update!


Start by grating your carrot if you haven't already. Preheat your oven to 350 so it is ready to go when your batter is and also give your pan a quick grease. You don’t want your batter to sit too long because of the reactions with the baking soda.

Mix your dry ingredients in one bowl (the smaller if there is a size discrepancy) and your wet ingredients in the other. Do not add your nuts in this step, keep reading.

Add your dry to wet and mix just until combined. If you are adding nuts you want to fold them in as you finish mixing here.

**pro tip** toss your nuts in a little bit of flour to keep them suspended in the batter

Put the batter in your greased pan and cook for 50 to 60 minutes. You’ll know it's ready when you can insert a wooden toothpick and it comes out clean.

Let the loaf sit for about 5 minutes and then place on a cool rack to cool.

Slice and serve.

Storage

If you don't plan on eating it all in one day, even if you really want too, it can be kept covered on the counter for a maximum of 3 days but will keep better and longer in an airtight container in the fridge. If you want to freeze it I suggest slicing it and putting wax paper between the slices so you can thaw as much or as little as you want.

Serving

You can go sweet or savoury or somewhere in between with this quick bread. I usually throw a little butter on a slice. You could make a honey butter to tow the line or go straight for a glaze to really sweeten the deal. I think this loaf is especially good with coffee or tea and therefore is great as a quick breakfast or an afternoon snack!

Short and Gritty
Ingredients

1 cup shredded carrot (about 2 medium carrots)
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp cardamom (optional, can also sub clove, allspice or nutmeg)
¼ cup milk
¾ cup oil
1 tsp vanilla

Optional nuts ( no more than ¾ cup)

Tools

Grater (or food processor)
Bowl x2
Wet and dry measures
A spoon
9x5 loaf pan

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 F
Mix dry ingredients, excluding nuts, in one bowl
Mix wet ingredients, including carrots, in a second bowl
Mix the dry into the wet also folding in nuts if you are using them just until combined
Pour into lightly greased pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes
Done when a toothpick can be inserted and come out clean. Slice and serve.