Instructions

1. Put the wheat and spelt flours in a large bowl and mix together.

2. Add 10g of salt to the flour and mix well. This ensures that the salt is well distributed in the dough and that there are no salt lumps.

3. Add 2g of L’Alfred’s dry yeast to the flour and add 350ml of water. Mix the dry yeast and water with the flour mixture. Do not add the carrots to the dough until it has risen, otherwise the dough will not rise as well.

4. Knead the dough (still without carrots) well for about 10 minutes and then let it rest for a total of 48 hours. Let the dough rise in a covered bowl in the fridge for 24 hours. After 24 hours, take the dough out of the fridge and stretch and fold it once. Then let it rest again in the fridge for 12 hours. Take the dough out of the fridge again and stretch and fold it once more. Finally, leave the dough to rise for 6 hours at room temperature.

5. To prepare for baking, peel and grate 2-3 large 300g carrots to make about 180g of grated carrots. Carefully knead these shredded carrots into the already risen dough. The carrots add extra moisture to the dough in this last step, so that it appears slightly “wetter” than usual.

6. Leave the carrot dough to rise in the proofing basket for 90 minutes. Just before baking, place the dough on a baking tray lined with baking paper and cut into it with a pastry knife, either by making one long, straight cut or several smaller vertical cuts. As the dough has become moister due to the carrots, it is better to cut deeper here than too little or short.

Bake it

1. Just before cutting the dough, heat the oven to 230° and heat water in a kettle or saucepan at the same time.

2. Once the oven has reached its temperature, place the dough on the baking tray in the oven. At the same time, pour a small cup of hot water into an ovenproof dish and place it on the bottom of the oven.

3. Remove the fireproof bowl with the evaporating water from the oven after 5 minutes baking time. Leave the oven door wide open briefly so that any residual moisture can escape from the oven.

4. Bake the bread for a further 10 minutes at 230° C so that a nice firm crust can form. Then reduce the temperature to 200°C so that the bread bakes well inside and out without drying out.

5. Bake the carrot bread at 200°C for another 25 minutes and then turn off the oven. Leave the bread to cool for a few minutes in the residual heat of the oven.

6. To prevent the crust from breaking, allow the bread to cool thoroughly before cutting. But of course the carrot bread also tastes great warm, if you need to make it in a hurry.

   We wish you bon appétit!