Carrot Chayote Spice Bread

The inspiration for this bread comes from traditional American carrot and zucchini bread. I have changed this concept around to utilize another variety of squash. Because I like to experiment with more tropical varieties of fruits and vegetables for baking, this is why I have used Chayote squash (see note in previous recipe) or Cho-Cho as it is called in Jamaica. Because Chayote is not exactly like Zucchini in texture or taste, I have also had to significantly modify other ingredients and spices. In Jamaican Patois this would be a Carrot Cho-Cho Spice Bread. Naturally, the use of a food processor to grate the vegetables, and a stand mixer with a whisk and paddle attachment, makes the process easy but the recipe can still be made without these “helpers”. Just requires a bit more manual labor! The bread is not very sweet, but is very soft and moist with delicate spice notes. If you wish to make it sweeter, increase the sugar to ¾ cup, and use white sugar instead of brown. 

As a serving suggestion, the bread goes well with  a slice of Cheddar or Wensleydale cheese, topped with orange marmalade or fruit preserve of your choice!

Ingredients

• 1 cup bread flour
• ½ cup of whole wheat flour
• ¼ cup oatmeal
• ¼ cup desiccated coconut
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• ½ teaspoon of baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger root
• 1 cup grated chayote, loosely packed with its liquid
• 1 cup of grated carrots, loosely packed
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• ½ cup of Greek yogurt
• ½ cup of brown sugar (I like to use coconut sugar for its taste. If you like a very sweet bread, increase the sugar to ¾ cup)
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon or large lime
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350º.
2. Line the bottom of a 9”x5” loaf pan with parchment paper. Grease and flour the sides.
3. In a small bowl, mix flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander, and nutmeg. Set aside.
4. Peel and grate the chayote (there will be a small amount of liquid formed from the grated chayote. Keep this with the mixture. Peel and grate carrot. Use small holes on grater for both Add to this, the zest and juice of the lemon/lime and the grated ginger. Mix and set aside.
5. In a large bowl, using a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, beat 2 eggs, sugar, oil, vanilla, and yogurt until well blended. This will be for about 2 minutes.  (it turns a pale brown color, and thickens a bit). If you are using a stand mixer, change the whisk attachment to a paddle attachment.
6. Next, add all of the grated chayote and carrot mixture, stirring until combined.
7. Add all of the flour mixture to the wet mixture. Mix at low speed until just combined. Pour mixture into prepared greased loaf 9”x5” pan.
8. Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until a bamboo skewer or cake tester inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
9. Let pan cool for 5-10 minutes and then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
10. When completely cool, cut into slices

Middle Eastern Baharat, My Version

Baharat is the Arabic word for spice. This seasoning mixture is used in many Lebanese dishes but I have never found one to my liking.Growing up, my Mother would just season her Lebanese meals with a mixture of the individual spices, and since some were not always available in the Caribbean, the predominant notes were cinnamon, allspice, and black pepper. The simplicity of this spice mixture could also have been due to the fact that her family originally came from a small mountain village in Lebanon so the spice mixture might not have been as complex as that used in Beirut. Bear in mind that this is not an "all-in-one" seasoning mix as it does not contain salt. You will always have to add that to suit your taste.

The Baharat mixture varies according to the country, the region in the particular county, and even among families living in the same country. The good thing about this mixture is that it lends itself to that level of variation, and so may be customized to suit ones taste quite easily. This is my version. I like a spicy Baharat so this is what I use. I lightly toast the spices in a wok before grinding. This releases the essential oils and intensifies the flavor. I use this mixture in my spiced Lebanese eggs, and pretty much in all my Lebanese meat recipes on this site.
Ingredients

¼ cup black peppercorns

¼ cup allspice berries

1/4 cup coriander seeds

¼ cup cinnamon

¼ cup cloves

1/3 cup cumin seeds

2 teaspoons cardamom seeds

4 whole nutmegs

¼ cup ground sweet paprika

¼ cup cayenne pepper

2-3 dried Moroccan Lemons (Loomis)

Directions

1. Lightly toast the ingredients in a wok until you can smell the fragrance. Be careful not to burn them

2. Grind in a spice grinder to a fine powder. Sieve to remove unground pieces. Store in an airtight jar.