Pioneer Woman at Heart

One Flourishing, Frugal and Fun Family!

One family learning to live off the land, cut back on expenses, and to live a simpler and a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

Adopted Motto

"Eat it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do,
Or go without."
~A Pioneer Sampler, by Barbara Greenwood~

Friday, November 21, 2014

Carrot Sandwich Bread


I'm not really a fan of baking yeast rising breads when it's colder in my house, so I wanted to try this 1969 cookbook recipe for a sandwich bread.


Homemade Bread, By the Food Editors of Farm Journal © 1969.



The recipe caught my eye, because it uses carrots in the recipe.  My first choice in "shortening" in this recipe would be real lard, but I do not have access to any.  I used organic, non-hydrogenated shortening.  If I keep coming up with reasons for lard, Hubby may reconsider raising our own pigs too.


Also if I should run out of bread during winter, and can't get to town for supplies, this might be a good back up recipe. 

Start this recipe early in the morning, and get chores done while the first part cools.



Carrot Sandwich Bread
(adapted from Homemade Bread with organic ingredients)

1 c. finely grated raw carrots
1 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. melted lard or organic vegetable shortening
1 c. boiling water
2 eggs
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder, aluminum free
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. sifted all-purpose organic flour
1 c. whole wheat flour, organic
1 c. chopped walnuts (we still had some locally grown ones)

Combine carrots, sugar, baking soda and lard in a large bowl. Pour on boiling water and stir just to mix.  Set aside until cool. 

Beat eggs with a fork and add to cooled carrot mixture.  Sift in the baking powder, salt and flour.  Stir in whole wheat flour.  Fold in walnuts.


Pour into a greased loaf pan (8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches).  Let stand 5 minutes.

Bake at 350°F for 1 hour.  Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.  Bread slices better if allowed to stand, wrapped in aluminum foil or plastic wrap, in a cold place overnight.  

The results? 

This smelled so good when it was baking.  

I waited until the next day, as the recipe suggested, and sliced it. 

I tasted it plain first.  It's a very thick, dense bread that tasted like a whole wheat bread.

Then I made a grilled cheese sandwich with the bread.  This was absolutely delicious.  It almost tasted on the sweet side.

Hubby tried toasting some in the toaster last night.  That did not work out so well.  

I am not sure if this would taste good with peanut butter and jelly, but it would probably taste good with tuna/lettuce, ham, or turkey, or other meat sandwich.  Now that I mention it, I may grill a tuna sandwich with it today.  Mmmm.

This morning, I may try it with egg and cheese.  I don't have any bacon or sausage.  That might make a delicious breakfast sandwich.

Yesterday I pulled out the drawer that goes under my stove.  I found about 12-15 cat toys and other stuff.  Once I got that all cleaned up I was in the mood to give the kitchen a spic-n-span cleaning.  I'm still doing that today.

I keep hearing of a "warm up" this weekend, but it's bringing along rain.  That will hamper outdoor work and getting Christmas lights up.  So, if it rains all weekend.....

I've been feeling kind of down lately.  I'm not sure if the older kids will make it home for Christmas now.  It's not that I can't find things to do (trust me,there is much I can do), it's that I feel they are missing out on the festivities (so as a Mother, I feel bad for them). 

Stay warm this weekend, and stay healthy too.  Flu season is here now.

12 comments:

Buttons Thoughts said...

Sounds like a fun cookbook I love the old ones. I recently started using coconut oil in my baking it is s so good expensive though. A gift that I had to use and I think I will buy it again. Carrot bread yummy. B

Sam I Am...... said...

The bread looks yummy! Any bread recipe that doesn't use yeast is going to be dense but that's not a bad thing. Too bad it didn't work in the toaster though. LOL! I toast a lot.

Mama Pea said...

I love those "older" cookbooks. The recipes in them are almost always really good ones. I prefer a "plainer" bread for my sandwiches, but I can understand the problems raising yeast breads in a less-than-warm house. I knew a gal whose husband built her a special drawer in one of her kitchen cabinets. It was solely for the purpose of holding her basic bread bowl and fitted with a light bulb which gave her the perfect temp at which her yeast breads would rise.

I know it will be sad for you if your two oldest can't make it home for the holidays. It will be different for them, too, but it's all part of this phase of their lives (yours, too!) when we have to be okay with letting them start their own adult lives. Even after they are settled and have their own families, it won't always be possible for them to come home for Christmas. You know you will all have each other in your hearts.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Mama Pea, you always know the right thing to reassure me with.

Sam I am, when Hubby toasted the bread it smelled like it was burning up, ha ha!

Buttons, I love trying recipes from old cookbooks. You never know if you'll find a winner recipe.

Susan said...

That sounds so good - I love anything with carrots in it. I wonder if I could adapt it to be gluten free...I would love to be able to have my entire family together for Christmas. But it never happens. We just keep each other in our hearts and we are all together in spirit.

Liz said...

I use a heating pad to make my bread rise in a cold kitchen. I usually have good results. Its hard when the first kid is away from home for holidays. Must be tough to have 2 missing!

HeatherD76 said...

My dad likes too make grilled cheese sandwiches with my pumpkin swirl bread. I wasn't very fond of it, but my 14 year old loved it.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Susan, I wonder if you could use something else like sorghum flour or other ingredient?

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Liz, thanks for the tip on using the heating pad.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Heather, I bet pumpkin would be wonderful with a cheese sandwich. It's almost like a cheese danish if you ask me.

Jen said...

I love the older cookbooks! That is the first thing I head to at thrift stores. I have found so many "jems".

As for yeast breads in the winter... a little trick I learned is to use a heating pad. When the dough is rising I place a heating pad under the bowl set to low. It keeps the dough nice and warm. Works perfectly every time.

That bread looks good to me.

RB said...

Pigs are a REAL handful of trouble, even more than goats which get out of just about every pen you put them into, pigs tear up nearly every pen you can figure out to put them into, and then they're running loose tearing up everything on the outside of their pen too.

When you're missing your young'uns around the holiday, try to remember - the future times you'll have with them will be just that much sweeter for their absence now.

God bless.

RB
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