Carrot Bread

Name: Carrot Bread
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: Manitoba flour 1 ¼ cup; Brewer's yeast ¼ tsp; Water at room temperature 0.6 cup; Carrots 2 ½ cups; Type 00 flour 3 cups; Water at room temperature 0.8 cup; Fine salt 1 ½ tsp; Brewer's yeast ¼ tsp; Extra virgin olive oil 0.7 tbsp; Type 00 flour &frac13; cup

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597

Calories per serving

Lactose Free
Vegetarian
Vegan

Energy Kcal 597
Carbohydrates g 105.2
of which sugars g 7.8
Protein g 14
Fats g 13.4
of which saturated fat g 2.14
Fiber g 7.6
Sodium mg 1144

Difficulty: Average
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 50 min
Serving: 6
Cost: Low
Note plus the rising time (19 hours)

PRESENTATION

This carrot bread really stands out from the usual bakery fare. I mean, really does. It draws from Italy’s love for amazing food—honestly, who doesn’t love that—and adds a bit of creative flair. And this bread combines traditional long, cold fermentation with a twist—carrots. And look, the slow fridge time works wonders. The aromas? Seriously good. They make your kitchen smell fantastic when the bread finally bakes. You end up with a loaf that’s got a crispy crust that lasts and a bright orange interior that looks super cool on the table. Italians love slicing it right there at the table so everyone hears that crackly crust and sees the tender, airy crumb with those nice big holes. And it really shows the care in making good bread. But the best part? The carrots make each bite more interesting than your usual loaf.

Across Italy, home bakers put their own spin on this carrot bread recipe—sometimes adding spices or using local carrots for extra color and sweetness. Here’s the thing: the dough’s high hydration makes the crumb so moist and full of big air pockets. Like the best focaccia but with a veggie twist. It’s the kind of easy carrot bread that impresses guests. Really, it looks and tastes special without any fuss. Plus, it’s pretty healthy carrot bread—with all those carrots, you’re sneaking some veggies in with your carbs. Win-win, right? Serve it with cheese and olives for a snack, or just enjoy it with olive oil. No matter how you slice it, this bread brings that Italian home baking vibe to your table, mixing sweet and earthy flavors with a golden crust that stays crunchy for hours. People end up talking about it long after the meal, for sure, which shows just how special a simple loaf can be.

In the end, this carrot bread isn’t just about taste; it’s about the whole experience—the sound of slicing, the smell in the air, and the delight in each bite. Whether you’re serving it at a family dinner or bringing it to a gathering, this bread is sure to impress. A perfect blend of tradition and innovation.

INGREDIENTS

597

Calories per serving

Ingredients for the poolish: Manitoba flour 1 ¼ cup (150 g); Brewer's yeast ¼ tsp (1.5 g); Water 0.6 cup (150 g) - at room temperature

for the dough: Carrots 2 ½ cups (270 g); Type 00 flour 3 cups (370 g); Water 0.8 cup (190 g) - at room temperature; Fine salt 1 ½ tsp (10 g); Brewer's yeast ¼ tsp (1.5 g); Extra virgin olive oil 0.7 tbsp (10 g)

for flouring: Type 00 flour ⅓ cup (50 g)

Preparation

How to prepare Carrot Bread

To prepare the carrot bread, start by making the poolish: pour the Manitoba flour into a small bowl along with the dry yeast 1 and add the water slowly, stirring with a fork 2. Once you have a batter, cover with plastic wrap 3 and let rise in the oven turned off with the light on for 3 hours.

Once it has doubled in volume 3, take care of the carrots: peel them (you will get 245 g of cleaned carrots) 5 and grate them with a coarse grater 6; set them aside.

In another bowl, combine all-purpose flour and dry yeast 7, add the now risen poolish 8 and start kneading by pouring in the water gradually 9.

Once you have a homogeneous mixture, add the salt 10 and the oil 11; continue kneading and also add the grated carrots 12.

Once the carrots are incorporated 13, cover with a dish towel 14 and let the dough rest for about ten minutes at room temperature, away from drafts. At this point, give the dough folds by taking the outer edges 15

and bringing them towards the center 16, then cover again with the dish towel. Repeat this operation every 10 minutes, two more times, always covering with the dish towel at the end of each operation. After finishing the folds, cover the bowl with plastic wrap 17 and let the dough rise in the refrigerator for 12 hours; then place it in the oven turned off with the light on for 2 hours until it has doubled in volume 18.

After this time, transfer it to a well-floured work surface, using a bench scraper 19 and give the dough a couple of reinforcement folds 20, bringing the edges towards the center; then form the loaf 21

and transfer it to a well-floured bread proofing basket 22. Cover with a dish towel 23 and let rise for 1 and a half hours (in an oven turned off with the light on is fine). Once the dough has grown to the edge of the basket 24;

place a sheet of parchment paper over the basket 25; then place it on the oven tray 26 and flip everything over to transfer the bread more easily onto the tray 27. Bake the bread in a preheated static oven at 464°F for about 40 minutes (if your oven can reach a maximum temperature of 428°F, extend the cooking time by at least 10 minutes), being careful to add a bowl full of water as soon as you turn on the oven, which will help create the right humidity. After 40 minutes, remove the bowl with water and continue baking for another 10 minutes.

At this point, turn off the oven. Take the carrot bread out 28 and let it cool on a wire rack 29. Your carrot bread is ready, slice it to serve 30 and enrich your bread basket!

Storage

Carrot bread can be stored for 2-3 days in a plastic bag, otherwise, it can be frozen, preferably after it has been baked.

You can freeze it once baked, perhaps in slices so you can defrost and heat only what you want to consume!

Advice

If you don't have a bread proofing basket, you have two alternatives: you can use a common fruit basket lined with a well-floured dish towel to give it a rustic shape. Alternatively, you can transfer the loaf directly onto a parchment-lined oven tray, keeping in mind that this way, the shape will hold less, and you may get a result more similar to a ciabatta; once it has risen, bake it directly!

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.