Morning Glory Bread

Growing up, my mom used to make these Morning Glory muffins that were the b e s t thing EVER. I honestly have no recollection of ingredients other than tangy golden raisins and carrots, and tons of cinnamon, but I so loved when she made them.

I’ve been playing around a bit with a recipe and I’m sharing it with you this week in honor of my mom’s birthday, a gift to you. I am certain she would approve. Whole grain, yes, and super tasty. Not too sweet, but a great start to the day. Or snack with tea.

Use your favorite dried fruit; the mix included in the recipe below is what we liked best. Use your favorite.

Morning Glory Bread

Yiels: one 9 x 5 loaf

Ingredients

1 large carrot, grated (1 cup grated carrot total)

2 medium apple, grated (1 cup grated apple total)

½ cup (120 ml) coconut milk (or cow or soy or almond)

½ cup (120 ml) maple syrup

½ cup (120 ml) sunflower (or other veggie) oil

2 eggs

1 teaspoon orange zest

1 tablespoon orange juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons coconut flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

¾ cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon fine sea salt

½ cup dried apricots, snipped or golden raisins

½ cup dates, snipped

½ cup pecans, toasted and chopped

⅓ cup unsweetened shredded coconut

large flakes coconut chips, optional

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F and position a rack in the middle. Line a 9x5 loaf pan with foil or parchment paper. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the grated carrot, grated apple, milk, maple syrup, sunflower oil, eggs, orange zest, orange juice, and vanilla extract. Stir well with a rubber spatula to combine. Stir in the coconut flour.

In another medium bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold them together using a spatula. Stir in apricots, dates, pecans, and coconut. Stir to combine. Be careful not to over mix! Once you have a unified batter (A few dry spots is fine), transfer it to the prepared loaf pan.

Smooth out the top of the batter and garnish with flakes of coconut if you like.

Bake the morning glory bread for 65 - 75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf emerges clean. Cool completely before slicing.

Enjoy!