Cinnamon Carrot Cashew Bread
Coffee brewing, bacon frying, cinnamon sugar warming in the oven -- I love waking up on the weekend to the smell of food cooking in the kitchen. And it astounds me just how powerful the smell of food (or anything else, for that matter) can be. Powerful enough to transport you to another time or place. Powerful enough to invoke memories that are years-old.
Perhaps it was my desire to lose myself in my memories that inspired me to create this recipe for Cinnamon Carrot Cashew Bread. Or perhaps it was my desire to use up the carrots that were starting to turn in the refrigerator. Either way, the bread was damn good and I just had to share the recipe with you!
Quick breads like this are perfect to make on the weekend. As their name implies, they obviously don't take too long to prepare, and you can spend the hour required for baking tackling other items on your to-do list.
Another appealing characteristic of quick breads is their natural adaptability to personal tastes and preferences and to availability of ingredients. You can substitute another shredded vegetable or fruit for the shredded carrots in this recipe, and the cashews can easily be replaced by another type of nut, like almonds or pecans or walnuts. The possibilities are endless!
If you're looking for something different to make for your weekend breakfast or brunch, then I wholeheartedly encourage you to try my Cinnamon Carrot Cashew Bread. Once you've mastered the basics of quick breads, either through my recipe or another one, you'll be experimenting with new flavor combinations in no time!
Cinnamon Carrot Cashew Bread
Printable Recipe
INGREDIENTS
INGREDIENTS
- 4 tablespoons cold butter, plus more for the pan
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons milk
- 1 egg
- 1 cup shredded carrot, squeezed dry
- 1/2 cup roasted cashews, chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9"x5"-inch loaf pan with butter.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- Cut the butter into small pieces. Using a fork, two knives, or your fingers, cut or rub the butter into the dry ingredients until there are no pieces bigger than a small pea.
- In a small bowl, beat together the milk and egg. Pour into the dry ingredients, mixing just enough to moisten. You want the batter to be lumpy, so do not mix until the batter is smooth.
- Fold in the carrots and the cashews.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake for about 1 hour, or until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool on a rack for 15 minutes before removing the bread from the pan.