Carrot and Chia Seed Bread

I’m bread making again – this time carrot and chia seed bread, mainly because, I’m still on my waste not want not stint.  I have fresh yeast about to go out of date and carrots that need to be used too plus a bunch of chia seeds in the bottom of a bag that I can’t quite bring myself not to use!  But most of all, my jar of bread flour is nearly empty and I have a fresh bag taking up space in the cupboard but I have to use up the old stuff before I can put the new stuff in the jar.

I often use vegetables in cakes, particularly for children who don’t like to knowingly indulge in their 5-a-day and today decided I’d hide them in dough.  It’s the first time I’ve tried this but it won’t be the last, I’m really pleased with the results.

This is not a carrot cake – it is a savoury bread.  I’m going to have it toasted, buttered and dipped in some tomato soup later, having already enjoyed it wrapped round some nice strong cheddar!

Ingredients:

25g fresh yeast

200ml warm water

2 tablespoons runny honey

400g bread flour

50g chia seeds plus a few more for sprinkling

2 tablespoons olive oil

250g grated carrots

1/2 teaspoon salt

Method:

1.  Put the honey, warm water and yeast into a mug and stir well together and leave to one side whilst you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

2.  Put all the dry ingredients into a stand mixer/food processor with the dough hook/blade attachment and mix together for a few seconds.

3.  Add in the oil and the yeast water and combine together until you have a dough then let the dough hook do its work kneading the dough for about 7-10 minutes.  It is quite a gooey wet dough.

4.  With well oiled hands, scoop the dough into a ball and put into an oiled bowl, cover loosely with cling film and leave to prove for about 45 minutes when it should have doubled in size.

5.  Uncover the dough and “knock” it back, knead on a floured surface into a short sausage shape.  Then put it into a 1lb lined, loaf tin, cover loosely and leave to double in size again, which should take about half an hour.

6.  Heat the oven to as high as it will go and if you have one place a pizza stone on the shelf on which you are going to bake the bread.

7..  Once the dough has risen again, sprinkle a little cold water over the top surface and pat the remaining chia seeds onto the top, and slice diagonally into the dough, quite deeply, making about three or four cuts.

8.  Bake for about ten minutes on the highest setting then open the oven door and reduce the temperature down to 180C.  Leave the oven door open for a couple of minutes whilst the temperature reduces then shut it and bake for a further 45 minutes when the bread should sound hollow when tapped underneath. That is why I line my loaf tin by the way – I do it with the paper proud of the tin by a few inches either side so that you can lift it out of the tin and tap the bottom without it falling to bits on you if it isn’t baked enough.  If it is still soft underneath return it to the oven, out of the baking tin for a further 5 minutes at a time.