Lightly Spiced Carrot Bread

Last week I was hit with a horrendous case of the common cold that left me sniffling, sneezing and hacking for days on end. Monday, I was fine. Tuesday, I was a little congested. But by Wednesday, I was a mess and had to call in sick. I think my co-workers were secretly gracious because besides being contagious, they were able to get a break from listening to me sneeze and blow my nose every 5 minutes.

After endless soup, tea and sleep, I’m slowly on the mend, but I forgot how a simple cold takes a lot out of you. Not to knock on wood or anything, but until last week I couldn’t remember the last time I was sick (I guess that run is over now – ha!). At least it’s over and done with now because October is shaping up to be a busy month. My sister-in-law Erin is visiting us during Thanksgiving (I’m making a turkey – wheeee!) and then I have my first Food Bloggers of Canada Conference at the end of the month. As a major introvert, I’m both nervous and excited to be in the same room as a lot of my favourite Canadian bloggers.

Even though I drank my weight in tea last week, with the weather getting colder, I find that I’m still putting on the kettle right after supper. Something about holding a hot cup of tea while under a blanket on the couch makes everything seem all right in the world. So naturally, I wanted to make a little something to snack on that goes with all the tea I’ve been consuming.

This lightly spiced carrot bread is exactly how sounds – a light-tasting earthy bread with a generous helping of cinnamon and nutmeg flavours. Carrots can sometimes be overlooked in the baking world in favour of other fall produce (I’m looking at you, Pumpkin), so while these tasty root vegetables are in season, I say let’s give them their moment to shine.

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Yield: 1 loaf

Lightly Spiced Carrot Bread

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups flour (I like whole wheat pastry flour)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 3/4 cup melted coconut oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup finely grated carrots
• Sliced almonds (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350*F. Spray your loaf pan with non-stick spray or line with parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and shredded coconut. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, stir together melted coconut oil and sugar. Add eggs and carrots and stir until combined. Add the dry ingredients bowl to the wet ingredients and stir until no flour is visible.
4. Spoon the mixture into your prepared loaf pan and sprinkle with sliced almonds. Bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean (I would check after 50 minutes). Remove pan from the oven and let cool on a wired rack.