Vegivore Eats | Boozy Orange-Carrot Tea Bread

Initially I only wanted a quick snack. I went to the kitchen to peruse the offerings in there and found in my crisper some leftover carrots from Monday's farmer's market trip. What happened next is a bit of a frenetic culinary blur...and I ended up with a loaf of perfectly golden, heaven-scented Boozy Orange-Carrot tea bread exiting my oven a relatively short while later.

These carrots, from one of my farmstand favorites (Dick's Market Garden), were just thin enough to be a pain in the butt to grate and yet just tender and perfect enough to be worth the trouble.  They added to the batter an earthy sweetness that offset the deep, robust flavors of the liquor and brown sugar.

Dried, sweetened cranberries added some chewy tartness to the finished loaf, and sliced almonds offered some crunch, along with a last-minute handful of dry-roasted sunflower seeds for a nutty, complementary umami.  Zested orange peel at the end brightened up the whole thing.


This bread is only mildly sweet, is unlike a carrot cake in that it isn't spiced at all, is more of a bread/cake hybrid than a BREADbread, is substantial and satisfying -- and is packed with the carrots' folic acid, carotene, fiber, potassium, calcium, magnesium and vitamin A, as well as all the good stuff from the whole wheat flour, nuts/seeds, honey and fruit.

I like a thick slice with a pat of salted butter on top.  It took a little while, but I finally got that snack I was after in the first place.
And, bonus: as I sit inside finishing up a clients' menu, looking out at the sunshine, eating what I'm afraid will ultimately be the whole damn loaf of tea bread and thinking about that pool party coming up in a few weeks -- I'm slightly comforted by the fact that, if you eat enough of them, carrots will give you a "tan" (the carotene adds color to the melanin in your skin).  One Bristol University (UK) study shows that people prefer the warm, natural glow from orange and green vegetables vs. the darker effects of the sun. I might BE a loaf of tea bread at that pool party, but damn, at least I'll have desirable skin tone (and the double bonus of all those aforementioned nutrients, huzzah).

BOOZY ORANGE-CARROT TEA BREAD

makes one standard 9"x5" loaf

3/4c grated carrots

2c whole wheat flour

2t baking powder

1/2t kosher salt

3/4c light brown sugar, packed

1/8c pure honey

1 stick butter, softened

2 eggs

2/3c vanilla yogurt (I used Greek, for the extra protein)

1T Grand Marnier

2T whiskey of choice (I used High West)
(( teetotalers -- substitute 3T orange juice for the alcohol ))

1/2c crunchies/chewies of choice (I used the cranberries, nuts and seeds)

 1T finely grated orange zest

Preheat your oven to 325.  

Spray your loaf pan with nonstick spray and set aside.

Grate your carrots.  Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together the butter, honey and sugar til fluffy.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add half the yogurt and half the booze, mix well, then add half the flour mixture and stir to combine. Repeat til all ingredients are just incorporated.  Don't over-mix!  Set aside momentarily.

Turn your attention to the carrots. Squeeze out as much moisture from them as possible, using a paper towel.  Fluff with a fork, then add them to the batter along with half of your designated crunchies/chewies and orange zest and stir gently and briefly.

Glop the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.  Sprinkle the other half of the crunchies/chewies over it (let them just rest there, no need to push them down or anything).

Bake 60-65 mins, or until a tester in the center comes out clean.

Let it cool in the pan 10 mins on a wire rack, then run a knife around the edge of the pan, pop out the bread and cool completely on the rack before slicing.

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PRO TIP: look at farmer's markets for yellow and purple carrot varieties.  The flavor/texture is just the same as the orange guys, but I just think the different colors look coolly nontraditional in traditional carrot recipes.

PRO TIP: Some folks manning the farmstands offer to chop off the tops of the carrots before you take them with you.  Opt to keep the tops, then go forth and rejoice, for now you can make yourself some carrot tops pesto.  Carrots are a member of the parsley family; the greens taste reminiscent.  I offer this pesto or a parsley pesto to cilantro-despising clients and it is more than comparable.