Healthy Carrot and Rye Bread

I've surprised myself with yet another wonderful bread and of course I have to share it with you! I really think I've learnt how to make delicious and fluffy bread now, and I can't wait until I can find more bread recipes to try out:-) I know, it's not sweets, but OMG what I love freshly baked bread. And when the bread is lovely like this, with lots of flavours, you hardly need any topping, except maybe some lightly salted butter.

This Carrot and Rye Bread is healthy with its crushed rye and carrots, but it's definitely not a dry and boring kind of bread. In fact it's totally the opposite! The carrots make this bread very moist and helps you increase your intake of your daily vegetables:-)




Healthy Carrot and Rye Bread
25 grams of fresh yeast or 1tsp dry yeast
4 dl milk (400ml)
1/4 dl golden syrup (25 ml)
1-2 tsp salt
2 carrots, medium sized
2 tsp bread spice (a mix of anise, fennel and caraway)
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 dl crushed rye (100ml)
1 dl boiling water (100ml)
6-7 dl wheat flour (600-700ml)

Decoration:
milk
sesame seeds, sunflower seeds

Crumble the fresh yeast into a bowl and add lukewarm water (37 d C.). If you are using dry yeast, let it dissolve in warm water min. 43 degrees C. Set aside for 10-15 minutes while the yeast dissolves.

Place crushed rye into another bowl add boiling water, set aside for 10 minutes, to let the rye go softer.

Add golden syrup, salt, grated carrots, bread spice, sunflower oil, crushed rye and almost all flour into the milk and yeast mixture. The dough should still be a little bit sticky. Make sure you don't use too much flour as it will make the bread dry. Work the dough by hand for about 20 minutes or in a kitchen aid for about 10 minutes. When you feel that the dough is ok, cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and set aside to rise to double its size for about 40-60 minutes. Place the bowl in a warm place.

TIP:
The dough is ready when it's slightly glossy. If you work the dough too little, the bread will turn out dense. One trick is to take a piece of dough between your thumb and index finger, pull finger apart, if the dough between your fingers are thin and elastic, you've worked it enough. Otherwise....work it more:-)

Sprinkle some flour onto work top and place the dough on top. Work the dough once again, this time, just a little bit, add extra flour if the dough is too sticky. Divide the dough into 3 same sized pieces. Make one large round loaf and place on an oven paper covered baking plate. Roll the other 2 doughs into 14 round balls. Place the rolls around the big loaf like a garland. Brush with milk and sprinkle sesame seeds, sunflower seeds etc on top.

Leave and let rise for another 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 225 degrees C.

Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes, until your bread has lots of colour. Let cool on an oven rack.

ENJOY!


Have you submitted a contribution to my first My Sweet Party ? The theme of my first party is chocolate and I would love you to join!


This is contributed to Breakfast Ideas Mondays.