Ginger Carrot Bread with Chia Berry Jam

Prep Time: 5 mins

Chill Time: 1 hr 5 mins

Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins

Ingredients

Ginger Carrot Bread

• 2 cups of spelt flour (it will offer a nuttier flavor. All-purpose flour works well, too.  Also, if you allergic to gluten, kindly go for almond flour for nut version or coconut or oat flour for nut-free version)
• 1 cup shredded carrot (around 200g; ensure to use sweet carrots to avoid using any sweetener)
• ½ cup brown sugar (optional; use only if your carrots aren’t that sweet and you are eating the bread without the sweet berry jam. Also, you may use white sugar if you like the taste and aren’t averse to refined food items)
• 1 egg (or flax egg if you are averse to the idea of using animal products)
• 1 tsp dried ginger powder
• ¾  tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 cup water
• 4 tbsp of applesauce (this adds a unique fruity and moist flavor to the cake, in addition to keeping the cake fat-free. But in case of unavailability, add 3 tbsp of olive oil or butter; dairy or almond/oat)
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• ⅔ cup raisins (optional)
• ½ cup chopped walnuts (optional, but you may add chocolate chips in case of nut-allergy)

Chia Seed Jam

• 1 heaped cup blackberries (around 170 g or 6 oz.)
• 1/2 heaped cup raspberries (around 85 g or 3 oz.)
• 1/2 heaped cup blueberries (around 85 g or 3 oz.)
• 1 heaped tbsp chia seeds
• 1 tbsp coconut sugar (optional, needed only if the berries are a little sour; you may also use pure maple syrup in case of unavailability of coconut sugar)

Cooking Instructions

Ginger Carrot Bread

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 9×5 loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment to pull the cake out easily after baking.
2. In a large bowl, stir all the dry ingredients in a large bowl, preferably through a large sieve.Then stir in the wet (all of the remaining) ingredients until combined well. Spread the mixture into the loaf pan.
3. Bake for 1 hour (or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the loaf).
4. Keep it on the cooling rack for sometime and cut into slices with a sharp knife.

Chia Seed Jam

1. Take a small saucepan over medium heat and add berries. Stir occasionally until softened (it will take around 5 minutes).
2. Mash them with the back of a spoon pushing against the sides/bottom of the pan. Let the mixture come to a gentle boil.
3. Once boiled, remove the pan from heat and  add the sweetener if needed.
4. Slowly add in chia seeds while stirring to combine well. Let it cool for a few minutes. Spread it over the carrot bread slices and enjoy!