Sweet Carrot Cranberry Bread

I went to a farm last week that offered the first field full of dig-your-own carrots I had ever come across. Picking produce is one of my favorite pastimes and this is one vegetable I have never had the opportunity to harvest myself. It was a lot of fun to pull each carrot out of the dirt to reveal what color, size, and funky shape it was going to be.

Roasting is one of my favorite ways to prepare carrots. Carrots are naturally sweet, but roasting them caramelizes their sugar and gives them a more in depth flavor. I roasted my carrots in a honey*-vegan butter glaze and then mashed them to bake into some bread. I added some cranberries to the mix to make a festive, early fall treat. You can add some grated carrots or walnuts into your bread, or whatever other add ins you would like to try. I also used whole wheat flour and honey to make this bread a little more healthy, but feel free to use all purpose flour and sugar if that is what you have available, as both options will work. *Read this about our stance on honey.

a loaf and slice of vegan carrot cranberry bread

Sweet Carrot Cranberry Bread

Recipe Type: Breakfast Sweets

YIELDS

PREP TIME 10 min

COOK TIME 01 hour 00 min

TOTAL TIME 01 hour 10 min

2 tbsp vegan butter
2 tbsp raw local honey
3 large diced carrots (about 1 cup mashed)
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground clove
2 tbsp ground flax
5 tbsp water
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup raw local honey
1/4 cup almond milk
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup dried cranberries

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. In a small saucepan, melt together the 2 tbsp honey and vegan butter.

3. Pour the honey butter over the carrots to coat them and add to a baking sheet. Season with spices and bake for 15 minutes, toss, and bake for another 15 minutes, until carrots can be pierced with a fork. Remove from oven and mash. Set aside.

4. Lower oven setting to 325°F. Mix together your ground flax and water to create an egg. Set aside.

5. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the oil and 1/2 cup honey. Add the flax eggs and whisk well.

6. Whisk in the mashed carrots and almond milk until incorporated.

7. Add the baking soda, vanilla, and salt and whisk well.

8. Add the flour and use a rubber spatula to mix it all together. Fold in the cranberries.

9. Pour into a greased bread pan and bake for 55–60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Also by Lauren: Homemade Vegan Cinnamon Swirl Bread

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Photo: Lauren Sacerdote