Bread Machine Magic

Elfe is getting better at eating vegetables and fruits, but I am still most likely to get her to eat them if they are cooked inside something else.  I try not to "hide" fruits and veggies, because I do want her to get used to new tastes and textures, but I'm not opposed to introducing things gradually.  Unlike a lot of kids, however, Elfe doesn't like sweet things - so putting healthy food in cookies or pies or cakes, for example, just doesn't work with her.

This is where my bread machine has really come in handy!  Carrots are one of Elfe's favorite vegetables, and she especially loves them in a bread I make regularly.  I've had a few requests for the recipe, so here you go:

For a 1.5lb loaf, add 7/8 cup of water, 2 tablespoons of butter, 2 tablespoons of honey, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, 2 cups of whole wheat flour, 1 cup of bread flour, 2 tablespoons of vital wheat gluten (optional, but makes the loaf rise a little higher), 1 cup of finely grated carrot, 1 tablespoon of poppy seeds, and 2 teaspoons of yeast (I use Red Star yeast from a jar, not the individual little packets) to your bread machine, in that order.  Set it for Whole Wheat cycle, with a medium crust, and let it go!

Elfe loves this toasted with butter for breakfast; I've also brought it to potlucks and served it with various really good soft cheeses.

This recipe is from the book Bread Machine Magic (affiliate link), which has 138 bread machine recipes just like this - all delicious!