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.
Carrot and Parsnip Bread 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))
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.
Notes
- Freezes well.
- This recipe is 4 Weight Watchers Smart Points per portion
- Use up leftover leaven in our leftover sourdough leaven loaf
This would be delicious with a side of our slow cooker red cabbage for a winter boost of extra vegetables!
This was the first time we made this loaf; way back in March 2012, as tasty then as it is now. Our photography has improved somewhat, though!
Recipe originally posted March 2012 – updated October 2017.
Makey-Cakey
This looks delicious – a great way to use up lingering parsnips. I hate them with a passion in their pure parsnippy form, and they always appear in our veg box, so I’m always on the lookout for way to use them up that distract me from what I’m eating. Bread sounds ideal…
Helen
You cannot taste the parsnip at all. Also somewhere on my site there is a recipe for sticky tofee pud using them!
Heather @girlichef
Honestly? The thought of being vegan scares me a bit, too. Not that I’m contemplating it or anything, but… I’m loving this bread. So many ways to switch it up depending on the veggie(s) you use. And it looks so hearty and satisfying. So happy that you shared it with BYOB this month! =)
Helen
I could cope with vegan food very easily, but everything else would be a problem. No wool for starters.
Thanks for hosting BYOB.
Nics Notebook
This sounds fab… I’m always looking for ways to eat more veg! Have bookmarked to try it :) x
Carrie
Nice recipe, especially since I am a cooking teacher with a lesson on root vegetables this month. I like the idea of using a variety of roots. Thanks!
Vanessa Kimbell
Oh now bread is my downfall… I love it. Even on a diet .. I cannot resist bread!
Janice
Your poor little swede, how could you put it in the bin! It is a lovely little root and you the Frugal Food lady too, shame on you. Hee hee! Glad you managed to grate some into your lovely bread. Go find somemore lovely swede (turnip to us Scots) recipes, I challenge you!
Helen
To be fair I usually leave it at Church for the stew pot for the homeless lunches.
Charlotte @gofreecakes
This is right up my street, Helen. I will be making this very soon. Thank you!
JohannaGGG
Sounds lovely – I would like to try making tofu but got stuck on buying coagulent because I remember using nigari years ago for it and can’t find it in any shops but I love the sound of fresh tofu in the house and having leftover whey.
Re swede – it is great in a veg and barley soup – or other soups and stews – or just roasted with lots of other veg – maybe some seasoning in the roast veg would help
I agree food politics is tricky. Often when I make vegan recipes, I think this will be a good one if I ever go vegan.
Helen
I use Epsom salts to coagulate which works a treat. At a pinch vinegar also works.
I souped my swede, with Thai curry paste – delicious!
Rachel McGrath
Ooooh I like the look of that!!!
Gill Bland
Hi, the FFF round up is up – http://talesofpiglingbland.wordpress.com/2012/04/01/frugal-food-fridays-march-roundup/
Silvia
So good! I’ve never thought of adding root vegetables into bread. That must taste really tasty :)
Helen
Tasty and colourful!
Katie | HealthySeasonalRecipes
Great tip about a wetter dough giving a lighter crumb. I think I tend to work too much flour into my bread- which always gives a disappointing denseness. I will have to try this! And about the random roots from the local share- I feel ya! I have the same problem every spring!
Helen
We rarely go below 66% hydration, it is a common mistake for beginner bread makers as a dryer dough is easier to work with.
Kristina
oh wow – what a gorgeous, nutrient filled loaf of bread! I love the vegetables!
Helen
Thanks, we love this loaf!
Emma Raphael
This sounds delicious. I am all in favour of getting extra veg in to my family’s diet whenever I can. I used to make a celeriac and cheese bread which I had completely forgotten about, thanks for the reminder! :)
Helen
that sounds so good Emma! I am all for Extra Veg!
MELANIE EDJOURIAN
That’s a fantastic way to get more veg into my family’s diet and without them knowing too! We all love bread so this would work really well.
Helen
I am all for extra veg as often as possible.