Name: Carrot and Parsnip Bread Loaf
Prep time: 120 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 160 min
Yield: 12 slices (1 medium loaf)
Ingredients: 100 ml milk; 145 ml water ((lukewarm)); 1 tsp yeast; 2 tbs oil ((rapeseed or similar)); 200 g strong white bread flour; 150 g strong brown bread flour; 140 g grated root vegetables ((grated finely. I used a mix of carrot and parsnip and swede)); 1 tsp salt; 1 tsp butter ((to grease bread tin))

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Enjoy a helping of extra veg in our easy to make root vegetable loaf. A great winter loaf which is delicious with soup or ideal for sandwiches. Egg Free.

This root vegetable bread loaf is perfect for autumn, sandwiches and served spread with butter to accompany a bowl of soup. We usually bake sourdough boules but sometimes life gets in the way and we forget to start the sourdough the day before we want to bake. This yeasted vegetable bread is ideal for using up the last of your root vegetables from the bottom of the salad crisper. The crumb is dense, but moist and soft making it ideal to slice thinly for sandwiches.

The first iteration of this recipe was prompted by the contents of the local veg box co-op we supported. During the winter months, the weekly box was long on root vegetables of all varieties including carrots, parsnips, turnips and swedes. We really appreciated that the box scheme was focussed on economically priced, low food miles vegetables that were in season, and it did prompt plenty of inventiveness about new things to do with root vegetables. This root vegetable bread is one result; sadly, the fruit and veg co-op is no more, but its spirit lives on whenever we bake this bread.

We used carrots and parsnips, but the recipe will work with a mix of any of carrots, parsnips, swede or turnips. Use a good strong bread flour – we prefer a Canadian bread flour and made a wet dough, with 75% of the weight of flour in liquid. You need a good strong flour with lots of gluten to make a well developed dough to support the grated vegetables. A wetter dough will give a light, open crumb, rather than dense loaf resulting from the extra ingredients, and the milk both helps the loaf rise and makes it softer. Both tweaks worked well, with the resulting loaf being neither heavy or dense. The final tip is to make sure that the vegetable have been grated finely.

The high hydration does mean that the dough doesn’t come together as quickly or as fully as one without the root vegetables; hand kneading isn’t the tidiest process, but the end results are worth it. If you do have a stand mixer, this bread is a perfect candidate for the kneading hook to avoid some of the stickiness.

Don’t worry if you think the finished loaf will be overly flavoured by the vegetables, – there’s a hint of both sweetness and a savouryness, but no more than a hint. It’s a great loaf for sliced thin for sandwiches, or accompanying a bowl of homemade soup – slather on the butter and enjoy. Another great way to enjoy it is with a blob of my carrot jam.

The Best Ways to Grease Bread Tins

I now always use butter to grease loaf tins. which I find much more effective than oil, which runs down the tin. Using a solid fat like butter means this doesn’t happen, and the loaf is far less likely to stick. If it doesn’t come out with a couple of shakes, run the tin under the cold tap and that should do it.

4.94 from 16 votes

Root vegetable bread; here made with carrot and parsnip, a great winter loaf.

Carrot and Parsnip Bread Loaf

Prep Time

2 hrs

Cook Time

40 mins

Total Time

2 hrs 40 mins

A moist, flavoursome bread loaf with added carrots and parsnips to get you on your way to 5 a day! A dense but soft crumb makes it this egg free bread ideal for sandwiches.

Course: Bread

Cuisine: Bread

Keyword: Bread, root vegetable loaf

Servings: 12 slices (1 medium loaf)

Calories: 141 kcal

Author: Helen Best-Shaw

Ingredients

100 ml milk
145 ml water (lukewarm)
1 tsp yeast
2 tbs oil (rapeseed or similar)
200 g strong white bread flour
150 g strong brown bread flour
140 g grated root vegetables (grated finely. I used a mix of carrot and parsnip and swede)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp butter (to grease bread tin)

Instructions

Add the yeast to water and milk and whisk in until dissolved. Add the remaining ingredients and bring together to a rough and shaggy dough.
Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until stretchy and pliable. Place the dough back in the bowl, and cover.
Allow to rise for hour or so, until light and puffy, and doubled in size.
Knock back and form into a loaf shape. Transfer to a greased loaf tin, cover, and leave to proof, for another hour or so.
Bake at 200°C/Gas mark 6 for 40 minutes. It's done when it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.