parsnip bread with honey glaze
Last week was draining. I struggled with wanting to bake every day versus being so drained that I didn’t even want to cook dinner. Now I know how most of the world feels: wrangling their kids, working from home, dealing with reality, you name it. Other than making two sourdough loaves during the week (which is more than normal for me), I didn’t bake anything experimental/new AND I ran out of flour. What’s a girl do?!
The first grocery store we went to only had Bob’s WWF, which I needed, and then I went to the store near my house and picked up some KAF AP and some cheaper store brand AP (they only had bleached- ugh…). Anyway, we got back to the apartment and I got right to work. I was so excited to be able to focus only on baking. It was such a relief. And I think this recipe is a real home run.
You might be thinking, parsnips? What? I know. I think I had a similar reaction the first time I heard of it. But then I tried it. Damn. It is really special. So unusual, unique, subtle, and pleasantly puzzling. You can’t really put your finger on it, so you just keep going in for more. This is a perfect afternoon pick me up that would pair really nicely with oolong or black tea.
Tips:
-I think the bread is lovely (albeit simple) on its own, but if you want to zhush things up a bit, you’ve got to try this honey glaze (see below). It’s also simple in its own right, but elevates the parsnip just enough without stealing its shine. If you don’t have parsnips, you could use carrots, but I think it is really worth seeking out some parsnips if you’ve never baked with them.
-I think I would be tempted to throw a handful or two of chopped pecans in the batter next time for a little texture.
-I would normally say to use whatever oil you want, but for this, I think something neutral is necessary. I ran out of coconut oil (and am out of canola) so I mostly used olive oil. I think since the parsnip is pretty delicate, I wouldn’t do this again.
-Last thing: I don’t make my bakes very sweet. The bread alone is definitely on the less sweet side because I really wanted the parsnip to come through. If you like things sweeter, you may want to up the brown sugar to 1 cup, especially if you aren’t going to use the glaze, but I think the sweetness is perfectly balanced with the glaze on top.
parsnip bread
yield: 1 loaf
1 ½ cups (about 135 g) grated parsnip from 2 small/medium parsnips
2 eggs
½ cup (100 g) coconut oil, or neutral oil such as canola
¼ cup (55 g) milk
¾ cup (160 g) brown sugar (either light or dark is fine, I used dark)
1 ½ cups (185 g) flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. kosher salt
Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Grease a 9x5” loaf pan. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, beat the two eggs. Add oil, milk and brown sugar. Whisk well. Whisk in the grated parsnip. Add the flour, powder, soda and salt. Mix just to combine. Pour into your prepared loaf pan. Bake at 350 for about 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. A few crumbs are fine, but a sticky toothpick is not. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15-20 minutes before removing from the pan. Remove from the pan and allow to cool. Meanwhile, you can prepare your glaze.
honey glaze
¾ cup (85 g) powdered sugar
1 Tb. (20 g) honey
1 Tb. (15 g) milk
a good dash of kosher salt
Add all of the ingredients to a small bowl and mix with a spoon or whisk. *The goal is to make the glaze thick but pourable. If your glaze is too runny, add more powdered sugar a little bit at a time as needed. If it’s too thick to pour, add more milk bit by bit as needed. Pour the glaze over the top of the cooled loaf, spreading to cover the surface of the loaf if necessary and let it drizzle down the sides. Slice and eat! Allow glaze to set up (dry) before storing in an airtight container. Will last for several days.
