Carrot Cake Soda Bread
This might sound blasphemous to Irish soda bread traditionalists out there. By now, you all know me well enough to know that I can’t just leave things traditional. I usually have to spruce things up somehow. Which basically means I mash up a recipe with another well-known recipe. In this case, I’m bringing you Carrot Cake Soda Bread.
It’s like soda bread meets carrot cake BUT before you think it’s overly sweet and sickly, think again. This one is only slightly sweet (just a hint) studded with carrots, raisins, walnuts and currants (I love currants in my soda bread). Perfect served with salted butter and/or cream cheese (to really mimic that carrot cake taste). It’s a great quick bread recipe that you can make this week for St. Patrick’s Day or roll it on over to Easter. It’ll work double duty and you’ll be so glad about it, trust me.
Carrot Cake Soda Bread
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Baking sheet
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup grated carrot
- 1/2 cup dried raisins
- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
- 1/4 cup dried currants (optional)
- 1 1/2 cups cold buttermilk
- Salted butter for serving
- Softened cream cheese for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice and cloves. Stir in the carrot, raisins, walnuts and currants if using.
- Make a well in the center and pour in the buttermilk. Stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula just until the dough comes together. The dough should be soft but not wet and sticky. If so, sprinkle in a but more flour but try not to add in too much.
- Transfer the dough to a well-floured work surface, and knead slightly for a few seconds. Pat into a 1 1/2-inch thick round and place onto the prepared baking sheet. Use a very sharp knife to cut a deep cross in the center of the dough reaching out all the way to the sides.
- Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 400°F and continue to bake until the top is golden brown and the bottom of the bread sounds hallow when tapped, about 30 minutes longer. Remove from oven allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing. Serve warm with salted butter or cream cheese. Enjoy!
