Ever since I gave My Evil Twin free reign of the kitchen once or twice a week, she’s pretty much been in charge of everything and anything baked around here. Cakes, cookies, breads and the likes are now quasi-officially her department…
I myself focus on the real food, you know: the meat and the veggies, the stuff that I eat regularly to actually nourish my body.
It’s probably better this way because, believe it or not, I have an easier time resisting decadent treats, such as her Wicked Windmill Chocolate Cake (which has gone completely viral on Pinterest!), than I do this naturally sweetened Morning Glory Bread that I just whipped up. In fact, the beautiful chocolate cake that I just mentioned, like most of the treats that come out of My Evil Twin’s Kitchen, I ended up giving practically the whole thing away. I kept a [albeit generous] slice for myself and then I went and made some friends…
But this bread? This bread I made SPECIFICALLY for my baby grand-daughter, and yet I’ve engulfed more than half the loaf before she’s even had a chance to taste it. I simply cannot be trusted alone around this thing…
So the other day, my baby grand-daughter was at home and I found a slice of my Paleo Banana Bread in the freezer; I took it out so I could give it to her for breakfast the next morning. She LOVED the thing so much, she inhaled it like I’d never seen inhale anything before. I mean, I’d given her some of my Banana Oatmeal Muffins as well as some of my Bran and Date Muffins in the past, and she loved them both, but she didn’t show half as much appreciation for them as she did for that particular slice of banana bread.
Mind you, this one has a serious thing for bananas…
But that day, the little one inspired me to step up in the kitchen and bake a beautiful, naturally sweetened Morning Glory Bread, filled with tons of grated carrots and apple and walnuts and raisins, (can you spot all the beautiful morsels in that slice?). A bread so healthy that I could feed it to her for breakfast or offer her a piece to snack on during the day… Well, I am pleased to report that I have just created another winner! This new creation of mine definitely passed the test and will, without the shadow of a doubt, get added to the list of baby-approved foods. And it will definitely be added to the list of grandma’s favorites, too!
The flavors of this bread are simply out of this world: so deliciously spiced and sweet, it totally reminds me of carrot cake! All that’s missing is a thick layer of cream cheese frosting. But trust me, that addition won’t be necessary and you won’t even miss it! As for the texture, it really is the best! It’s moist, it’s tender and has tons of beautiful morsels to chew on… you’ll be totally hooked with the very first bite.
At least I know I was…
Want to whip one up, too? Here’s how you should prep all your ingredients:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F; grease and flour a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan and set aside.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients and mix them with a flat whisk until they are very well combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine the grated carrots, grated apple (no need to peel it), chopped walnuts and raisins. Set aside.
- In a third, larger bowl, combine the eggs, date paste, melted coconut oil, unsweetened applesauce and juice, honey, molasses and vanilla extract.
Grab the bowl with the wet ingredients in it and whisk vigorously until well combined.
My coconut oil was melted but not to the point that it got completely translucent, so it still had a few tiny little white lumps in it. If that happens to you, don’t sweat it… so long as you don’t have really big lumps of solid oil, you’ll be fine.
Once your wet ingredients are thoroughly combined, add the dry ingredients all at once.
Stir well with a wooden spoon until completely incorporated.
Throw in all the beautiful add-ins…
…and stir gently with the wooden spoon until well combined, no more.
Transfer the batter to your prepared pan…
… spread evenly and bake in the 350°F for 55 to 60 minutes or until the top turns a beautiful dark golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Allow the loaf to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then carefully unmold it and place it on a cooling rack to cool completely. Or well, at least until you can safely handle it with your bare hands without burning yourself…
At this point, the house will smell so incredibly good, there will only be one thing on your mind: to slice that puppy up and enjoy a warm, straight-out-of-the-oven slice of that glorious bread, right then and there.
Go right ahead! I can’t really blame you for that… ‘cuz that’s exactly what I did!
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups (280g | 9.9oz) whole wheat flour
- 3/4 cup (75g | 2.6oz) rolled oats
- 1 tbsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp ground Ceylon cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp salt (I use Himalayan salt)
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup (130g | 4.6oz) date paste
- 1/2 cup (120ml) melted coconut oil
- 1/3 cup (60g | 2.1oz) unsweetened applesauce
- 1/4 cup (60ml) unsweetened apple juice
- 1/4 cup (85g | 3oz) unpasteurized honey
- 2 tbsp blackstrap molasses
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract, (store-bought or homemade)
Dry Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 2 cups (260g | 9.1oz) grated carrots (about 4 large)
- 1 cup (140g | 4.9oz) grated green apple (about 1 large, peel-on)
- 3/4 cup (75g | 2.6oz) chopped walnuts
- 1/2 cup (65g | 2.3oz) golden raisins
Add-ins
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat your oven to 350°F; grease and flour a 9" x 5" loaf pan and set aside.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients and mix with a flat whiskuntil well combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine the grated carrots, grated apple, chopped walnuts and raisins. Set aside.
- In a third, larger bowl, combine the eggs, date paste, melted coconut oil, unsweetened applesauce and juice, honey, molasses and vanilla extract. Whisk vigorously until well combined, then add the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until completely incorporated.
- Throw in the add-ins and stir gently with the wooden spoon until well combined.
- Transfer the batter to your prepared pan and bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until the top is a beautiful dark golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow the loaf to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then unmold it and place it on a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
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