23 | December | 2013 | Bewitching Kitchen

I’ve been baking bread for many years, and of course I’ve had my share of failures. However, I have yet to meet one recipe from Dan Lepard that didn’t work. Dan knows his way around all things yeast and sourdough, so whenever I’m in the mood to try something out of the ordinary he is my number one source of inspiration. This recipe is from his book Short and Sweet, which I reviewed in the past. I am always fond of anything with carrots, and thought that incorporating them in a soft bread perfumed with cumin would lead to something awesome.

Look at these babies! Plump, golden, and so very fragrant…

If you want the recipe but do not own his book, you can find it at The Guardian website with a quick jump here. Or you can do even better and order your own copy. 😉

I loved making these buns! They flow in the opposite direction of a sourdough, as Dan uses fast-rising yeast for the dough. The only tough part was grating the carrots, I think my box grater is getting a little old and dull. I don’t like to buy pre-grated carrots, I think they are too bulky and overly dry. Not the best option for this type of recipe.

I made 5 buns, one of them larger than all others, as I wasn’t sure how much oven spring they would have. Next time I will cut the dough into 6 equal pieces, the resulting size is perfect for a hamburger.