Carrot Pineapple Bread

Upscale, elegant desserts are all well and good, but sometimes a homestyle treat like this carrot pineapple bread is all you need. It brings the flavors of carrot cake to a simplified quick bread version that takes just 10 minutes to get into the oven. Better yet, the recipe makes two loaves, so you can eat one now and put the second away for when unexpected guests arrive.

Ingredients for Carrot Pineapple Bread

• Flour: All-purpose flour is made for recipes like this, with its moderate gluten levels creating a high but tender loaf.
• Sugar: Sugar sweetens the carrot pineapple bread and also helps create its structure.
• Baking soda: Baking soda reacts with the acidity in the recipe to leaven the batter.
• Cinnamon: Cinnamon’s characteristic warm flavor complements the sweet carrots and tart pineapple.
• Eggs: Eggs bring moisture and structure to the loaf, and natural emulsifiers in their yolks help the oil combine with the wet and dry ingredients.
• Carrots: The shredded carrots in this recipe add sweetness, moisture and plenty of healthy nutrients.
• Canola oil: Most cakes use some form of fat to give them a soft and tender crumb. Canola oil is a healthier option than hydrogenated or saturated fats.
• Crushed pineapple: The pineapple in this recipe adds moisture and sweetness, but with a tart edge. It also provides the acidity needed for the baking soda to work.
• Vanilla extract: Vanilla’s warm, sweet, aromatic flavor elevates the taste of the other ingredients.
• Chopped nuts: Chopped pecans or walnuts add a pleasingly nutty flavor (of course) and textural contrast to the finished loaf.
• Confectioners’ sugar and milk: The loaf is fine on its own, but it’s a little more special when you use confectioners’ sugar and milk to create a glaze. Drizzle the glaze over the finished loaf for a more appealing, company-worthy appearance.

Directions

Step 1: Make the batter

Danielle Moore for Taste of Home

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs. Add in the carrots, oil, pineapple and vanilla. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until they’re just moistened. Fold in the nuts.

Editor’s Tip: It’s okay if the batter is slightly lumpy at this point. Trying to make it smooth will spur more gluten development and make your loaves tougher.

Step 2: Bake the bread

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spoon the batter into two greased and floured 8×4-inch loaf pans. Bake the bread for 65 to 75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the bread cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing it to a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 3: Make the glaze

Danielle Moore for Taste of Home

If you decide to glaze the loaves, combine the confectioners’ sugar and milk to make a pourable glaze, then drizzle it over the loaves in a pretty design.

Carrot Pineapple Bread Variations

Danielle Moore for Taste of Home

• Swap out the carrots: The recipe works beautifully with carrots, which we know are an excellent baking ingredient (carrot cake, anyone?). That doesn’t mean you can’t substitute other vegetables, if you have them handy and want a change of pace. Shredded uncooked sweet potatoes, parsnip or winter squash can all be used as 1-to-1 substitutes for the carrots. Shredded zucchini and other summer squashes work too, though they bring a bit more moisture. For those, squeeze out some of the excess moisture in a colander, in your hand or by twisting the shredded zucchini in a clean kitchen towel.
• Replace the pineapple: Similarly, while carrot and pineapple are a great combination, you can switch out the fruit and still have a good result. Shredded apples or pears, or coarsely chopped canned pears, taste great in loaves like this. Roasted grapes or plums are also good, and they bring a vivid burst of color to the finished loaf. Roasting the fruit concentrates its flavors and masks its flaws, so this is a good way to use up underripe or past-its-prime fruit.

How to Store Carrot Pineapple Bread

Quick breads can be stored at room temperature, in either a loose-fitting bag or a covered container (to slow drying). They can also be kept in the fridge, if you prefer.

How long will my pineapple carrot bread keep?

Most quick breads are good for only about three days at room temperature, because they dry out. This one can be good for up to five, because the carrots and pineapple add a lot of moisture. If you pack the leftovers into airtight containers and put them in the fridge, this loaf can easily last a week.

Can I freeze this carrot and pineapple bread?

You certainly can. In fact, a two-loaf batch almost cries out for you to freeze one for later. It’s best to freeze the loaves unsliced. Freeze whole or partial loaves on a sheet pan first, with partial loaves loosely enclosed in a bag to protect the cut surfaces from drying. Once they’re hard-frozen, pack them into heavy-duty freezer bags, or wrap them individually and place them in storage containers with tight-fitting lids. Freezing them first prevents the loaves from being squashed or damaged during the packaging process, or after you put them in your freezer. Omit the glaze from any whole or partial loaves you want to freeze.

Carrot Pineapple Bread Tips

Danielle Moore for Taste of Home

I really like pecans (or walnuts). How can I emphasize them?

One option is to simply use more. A cup of chopped nut pieces isn’t a huge quantity, and if you’re a nut lover, you can increase that by 1/2 cup or even double it to 2 cups without the loaves becoming too nut heavy. You could also toast the nuts in a skillet or your oven before using them, which deepens their flavor and gives them a bigger impact even in the original quantity.

I’m not sure about my baking soda, can I use baking powder instead?

Yes, you can, and it’s an easy substitution. Baking soda has four times as much leavening power as baking powder, so it takes 4 teaspoons of powder to replace the 1 teaspoon of soda in this recipe. The downside is that your loaves won’t brown as much, because baking soda raises the pH of the batter, and that promotes browning. There is another possible solution: Just test your baking soda to see if it still works as it should (it’s not a bad idea to test baking powder occasionally too). If it’s still good, you don’t need the substitution.

What other add-ins might be good in this carrot pineapple bread?

You have lots of options, so it really comes down to what you like. Raisins are good in moist loaves like this, especially if you plump the raisins first to make them tender and moist. Alternatively, chopped dates or other dried fruit offer textural contrast and pops of compatible flavor. You could also opt for fresh or candied citrus zest, white or regular chocolate chips, butterscotch or caramel chips, or pieces of coarsely chopped banana.