Carrot Raisin Bread

A soft loaf of bread that embodies your favorite Carrot Raisin Salad…with one secret ingredient.

Once upon a time, I played the clarinet.

And then, one day (about 10 years ago), I chose not to anymore.

Maybe the reasons why are important, maybe they aren’t. Regardless, one day I discovered that I no longer loved the thing that had brought me such joy. I had lost my passion; I had to take a step back.

A few weeks ago, my parents came up to Chicago for a visit. I asked them to bring my instrument with them. I had found that, all these years later, I wanted to play again. No, I haven’t had much of a chance to practice regularly, but tonight I sat down for a few minutes and played. Nothing fancy – in fact, I spent a large chunk of time just playing scales. But it felt good. It felt right.

If you had told me 10 years ago that I would someday find a great calm in playing scales and runs of triplets, I would never have believed you. But with some age and within a different context, it all seemed to make sense. It’s not always easy and it certainly isn’t pretty most of the time, but it is right.

This bread feels like that. I never much cared for carrot and raisin salad as a kid. It felt like something I should eat, rather than something I wanted to eat. But now, as an adult and within a different context, the flavors seem to make sense. It all fits together and feels right. The sweet raisins and carrots balance out the slight tang that…wait for it…mayonnaise adds to the bread. That’s right, our secret ingredient is just a few tablespoons of mayonnaise. Admittedly, it feels a bit wrong to add mayonnaise to yeast dough, but in this context it all just works. Trust me on this one.

And much like everything else in life, baking bread – even one as perfectly delicious as this one – is not always pretty or easy. My apartment is eternally freezing, and my dough is often reluctant to rise, as it was the day that I baked this bread. But, instead of panicking (ok, maybe I panicked just a little bit), I trusted in the power of my favorite Red Star Platinum Yeast, threw the loaf in the oven, and said a little prayer that it would bake up appropriately.

I know we are relying on photos here, but I hope you can see the pillowy softness of those slices of bread. Boyfriend assures me that it was pure science that caused the loaf to rise perfectly while it baked. I personally like to think that tiny Red Star Yeast fairies live in my oven.

We all have our beliefs.

Head on over to Red Star Yeast’s site for this Carrot Raisin Bread recipe. While you’re there, be sure to investigate your own baking troubles with their handy troubleshooting guide. It will be like baking fairies are living in your oven, too.

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I was compensated by Red Star Yeast for my time to make and photograph this recipe, but all opinions are, as always, 100% my own.