Carrot Walnut Bread

1 1/2 Cups all purpose flour

1/2 Teaspoon baking soda

1/2 Teaspoon baking powder

1 Teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 Teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 Teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 Teaspoon salt

2/3 Cup butter -- or margarine

1 Cup sugar

2 Large eggs

1 1/2 Cups carrots -- cleaned and grated

3/4 Cup chopped walnuts

3/4 Cup chopped raisins

Two favorite vegetables, carrots and zucchini, have given us popular, moist loaf breads. Because of the natural sweetness of carrots, carrot bread requires less sugar than zucchini bread and the added touch of orange is beautiful against a white serving platter.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Brush a 9 x 5 x 3" loaf pan with melted butter or coat with vegetable spray.

Combine in a bowl the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and salt, stirring with a rubber spatula until very well mixed. Cream together the butter and sugar in bowl of an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs and beat until creamy. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture gradually, blending well. Fold in the carrots and nuts. (The carrots can be grated in a food processor. Remove them and then chop the nuts and raisins together. Processor-chopped ingredients will yield a smoother slice of bread.)

Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake approximately one hour or until the bread tests done with a cake tester. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan on a wire rack 15 minutes. Turn bread out on rack to finish cooling.

REG 3 shared by Sherilyn Schamber, CA, USA Tea Breads Also shared on TNT, July 1997