Name: Carrot and Walnut Bread
Ingredients: salt; bread flour; water; carrots; liquid levain; yeast; whole-wheat flour; walnuts

Jeffrey Hamelman

Carrot and Walnut Bread

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Preparation info

Difficulty
Medium
Dough Yield: About
29
loaves at 1.5 lb each

Appears in

Bread

By Jeffrey Hamelman

Published 2004

This is Another Bread that was the Product of curriculum writing for the King Arthur Baking Education Center. Carrots are not a commonly used ingredient in bread making, and you may initially react negatively to the thought of an orange-tinged crumb color. In fact, the crumb reveals little suggestion of the presence of carrots, nor in fact does the flavor. The main contribution made by the carrots is one of moisture retention—this bread has an excellent shelf life. And the slight sweetness of the carrots goes very nicely with the walnuts.

Pre-Fermented Flour: 15%

Ingredients

Overall Formula

	U.S.	Metric	Home	Baker’s %
Bread Flour	10 lb	5 kg	1 lb	50 %
Whole-Wheat Flour	10 lb	5 kg	1 lb	50 %
Water	14 lb	7 kg	1 lb, 6.4 oz	70 %
Salt	.42 lb	.21 kg	.6 oz	2.1 %
Yeast	.25 lb, fresh	.125 kg, fresh	.13 oz, instant dry	1.25 %
Carrots*, Grated, Squeezed Dry	5 lb	2.5 kg	8 oz	25 %
Walnuts	5 lb	2.5 kg	8 oz	25 %
Total Yield	44.67 lb	22.335 kg	4 lb, 7.1 oz	223.35 %

Liquid-Levain Build

Bread Flour	3 lb	1.5 kg	4.8 oz (1⅛ cups)	100 %
Water	3.75 lb	1.875 kg	6 oz (¾ cup)	125 %
Mature Culture (Liquid)	.6 lb	.3 kg	1 oz (2 T)	20 %
Total	7.35 lb	3.675 kg	11.8 oz

Final Dough

Bread Flour	7 lb	3.5 kg	11.2 oz (2½ cups)
Whole-Wheat Flour	10 lb	5 kg	1 lb (3⅝ cups)
Water	10.25 lb	5.125 kg	1 lb, .4 oz (2 cups)
Salt	.42 lb	.21 kg	.6 oz (1 T)
Yeast	.25 lb, fresh	.125 kg, fresh	.13 oz, instant dry (1¼ tsp)
Carrots*, Grated, Squeezed Dry	5 lb	2.5 kg	8 oz (1¾ cups)
Walnuts	5 lb	2.5 kg	8 oz (2 cups)
Liquid Levain	6.75 lb	3.375 kg	10.8 oz (all less 2 T)
Total	44.67 lb	22.335 kg	4 lb, 7.1 oz
* You will need approximately 75% more carrots by weight to obtain the required weight for the dough. If the carrots are not peeled, you will need about 50% of the weight.

Method

Liquid Levain: Make the final build 12 to 16 hours before the final mix, and let stand in a covered container at about 70°F.
Mixing: Squeeze as much moisture as possible from the carrots and discard or drink. Add all the ingredients to the mixer except the carrots and walnuts. In a spiral mixer, mix on first speed for 3 minutes in order to incorporate the ingredients. If necessary, correct the hydration by adding water or flour in small amounts. Finish mixing on second speed for 3 minutes, to moderate gluten development. Add the carrots and walnuts to the dough. Mix on first speed only until they are evenly incorporated. Desired dough temperature: 76°F.
Bulk Fermentation: 1.5 hours.
Folding: Fold the dough halfway through the bulk fermentation.
Dividing and Shaping: Divide the dough into 1.5-pound pieces (or larger, as desired); shape round or oval, or make into pan loaves.
Final Fermentation: About 1 hour at 75°F.
Baking: With normal steam, 460°F for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 430°F to finish the bake. Loaves scaled at 1.5 pounds should bake for 35 to 38 minutes.