Carrot Nut Raisin Loaf

Quick is Relative

I thought this would be a simple test. After all, quick breads are supposed to be, well, quick. And so, I fiddled. 

I know, I know. I made a vow to make each of Grandma's recipes as written, but I had already tested a couple of the quick breads in Grandma's box, one of them even containing carrots, and I expected this one to be as easy.  I was wrong. So here's . . . 

How Not to Make Carrot Nut Raisin Loaf

First, I sifted the dry ingredients together, but I used whole wheat flour instead of just the "flour" called for in the recipe. It might be overly optimistic of me, but I like to think the bread is healthier that way.  Speaking of creating the illusion of a healthy quick bread, I also added some ground flax seed. 

I say the illusion of a healthy quick bread because the sugar and oil are the ingredients that cause that illusion to crumble. Those are the things I added next, along with the eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest. I used coconut sugar, another deviation from the recipe, so the mixture is dark. 

I grated the carrots with the finest blade of my grater and added 1 and 1/3 cups of them to the egg and sugar mixture.   

The next step was to stir the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients together, and that was when I began to suspect problems. 

It was thick. Abnormally so. I've made a chunk of quick breads in my life, and this one did not seem right. However, the recipe card showed signs of having been made more than once, so I forged ahead. I chopped the nuts and the raisins--yes the raisins because Grandma liked to grind the raisins in many of the things she made--and added them to the mixture. 

The batter was even thicker, which concerned me, but I'd already fiddled enough. I spread the batter into a 9 x 5-inch pan and set the timer for sixty minutes. 

The resulting loaf was dense and dry. It also seemed overdone. The flavor wasn't bad, but it very much needed the slathering of butter we applied. 

The verdict? Back to the drawing board. 

I Googled Carrot Raisin Bread and found a variety of recipes, each with a different thing I could try to add moisture to Grandma's loaf. I soon realized that if I did any of those things, this loaf would cease to be Grandma's and become somebody else's. So I looked to Grandma's own recipes for inspiration, this Oatmeal Raisin Cookie, in particular. In that recipe, the raisins are boiled and left to cool and then some of the liquid from the soak is added to the cookie dough. I decided that that technique might work for this bread, so I undertook round two. 

How to Make Carrot Nut Raisin Bread

Again, I mixed the dry ingredients, still using whole wheat because I prefer it for my quick breads, and I wasn't about to give up on it. I then combined the sugar (regular white sugar this time), eggs, and oil. I increased the amount of grated carrots to two cups, hoping that would add some much-needed moisture. I also decided to lean into the citrus flavor the zest was bringing and add some of the juice. Things were looking better already. 

I added the raisins to a saucepan and poured in water to cover. I brought this mixture to a boil and then removed it from the stove and let it cool to lukewarm. 

Meanwhile, I stirred the flour mixture and the carrot mixture together. I then added the drained raisins and the nuts. This time, I added half as many nuts as the original recipe called for because the first attempt felt nut-heavy. I also snipped the raisins again because we liked them in smaller pieces in the first loaf. 

Two tablespoons of the liquid from the raisin soak went in as I stirred the dough, and this time the mixture was slacker and easier to stir. 

I scraped the batter into a greased 9 x 5-inch pan and put it in the oven. I checked it at 50 minutes, then again at 55. In my oven, sixty minutes was the sweet spot for this version, even if the first attempt was overdone at that time. The loaf came out looking much better. 

It made a pretty slice, too. Here are the two attempts side by side. Which would you rather eat? 

The Verdict

If you said slice two, then I'm with you. It triumphed in texture, moistness, and flavor. The hint of citrus was more noticeable, the raisins plump and gooey, and the nuts added crunch without overwhelming the other elements. It was delicious, perfect for breakfast, brunch, or an afternoon snack. Slathered with a layer of cream cheese frosting, it could even be dessert.  I'm glad I tried again, and I'm also glad I stayed as close as possible to what Grandma might have done. Simply put, Carrot Nut Raisin Loaf is fantastic.