Here’s another one to add to your favorite carrot recipes — Finnish Carrot Bread Rolls! These bread rolls are a comforting combo of softness and sweetness, and they’re so easy to prepare!
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It was a bit of a surprise for me.
I’ve been living in Stockholm for more than ten years now, been traveling back and forth in the entire Nordics. But, until now, I have not seen a single vegetable used in any Nordic bread.
It’s always seeds, nuts, or dried fruits — not vegetables.
Maybe in newer recipes or with some fusion. But these carrot bread are traditional bread rolls from Finnish cuisine.
So they go way, way, waaayyy back.
IF YOU WANT MORE CLASSIC FINNISH RECIPES, THEN YOU WILL LIKE THESE POSTS!
Ingredients
- Yeast – I always use active dry yeast for this carrot bread recipe.
- Milk – full cream milk, if possible, needs to be warm for the yeast to work.
- Honey – molasses is an excellent substitute if you don’t have any honey available.
- Butter – unsalted, softened butter.
- Carrots – peeled, rinsed, and grated.
- Flour – no need to use bread flour for this recipe. I have always used all-purpose flour, resulting in moist carrot bread rolls.
Preparation
Start preparing your carrot bread rolls by combining warm milk with yeast (photo 1).
Mix and set it aside until ready.
Combine flour, salt, grated carrots, and honey in a stand mixer’s bowl (photo 2).
Use the paddle attachment to mix.
Add the yeast mixture and mix to combine.
Add the softened butter (photo 3).
Using a dough hook, mix until the carrot bread dough becomes smooth. If the dough is too wet, add a tablespoon of flour (or two, one at a time).
Form the dough into a ball and place it into an oiled bowl (photo 4).
Cover with a clean kitchen cloth and set it aside.
Remove the cover once the dough has doubled in size — this typically takes at least an hour for me (photo 5).
Place the dough on the counter and divide it into twelve equal portions (photo 6).
Form each portion into a ball.
Place the ball on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Leave enough space in between each ball (photo 7).
Cover with a clean kitchen cloth once all the rolls are in the baking pan.
Set aside for thirty more minutes, or until each roll has doubled in size (photo 8).
Preheat the oven to 200°C (375°F).
Once the oven is ready, remove the kitchen cloth covering your carrot bread rolls and place the pan in the middle of the oven.
When the rolls have slightly darkened on top (takes twenty to twenty-five minutes), take them out of the oven and set them aside to cool slightly.
Serve your Finnish carrot bread rolls, and enjoy!
Helpful tips
- If you want to see bits of carrots in the bread, do not grate them too finely, just like how I’ve shown it in the images above.
- The wetness of the dough will constantly vary because of the moisture in the grated carrots.
So, do not hesitate to add a bit more flour when preparing the dough – that that’s just normal.
- You can knead the dough manually if you don’t have a stand mixer.
FAQs
Absolutely. I tried that recently, and I was pleasantly surprised with the result.
If you want to try this, pay attention to your cooking time. Also, you might need to adjust it, depending on the loaf tin’s size that you’re going to use slightly.
Lastly, if you want the top of the carrot bread loaf to be darker or more golden, brush the top of the dough with an egg wash.
Butter, marmalade, or gorgonzola (or any blue cheese) – they all go well with these bread rolls.
That means these easy carrot bread rolls are great for breakfast or after-meal snacks.
But, of course, the drink then – coffee, tea, or wine – is up to you.
So, give this carrot bread recipe a try this weekend!
Finnish Carrot Bread Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup milk, warm
- 1 tbsp active dry yeast
- 2 & 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 & 1/2 cups carrots, grated, (about 2 medium-sized carrots)
- 1 tbsp honey
- 25 grams butter, unsalted, softened
Instructions
Preparing the carrot bread dough:
- Combine warm milk and yeast. Mix and set aside.
- Combine all-purpose flour, salt, grated carrots, and honey in a mixer bowl.
- Use the paddle attachment to mix.
- Once the yeast mixture is ready, add it into the mixer bowl and use a dough hook to mix.
- Add butter and mix until the dough becomes smooth. If the dough is too wet, add a tablespoon of flour (or two, one at a time).
- Form the dough into a ball and place it into an oiled bowl.
- Cover with a clean kitchen cloth and set aside until the size of the dough has doubled. (It generally takes at least an hour for me.)
Preparing and baking carrot bread rolls:
- Once the dough is ready, divide it into 12 equal portions and form each section into a ball.
- Place each ball of dough on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Leave enough space in-between.
- Cover with a clean kitchen cloth and set aside for 30 more minutes, or until each roll has doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 200°C (375°F).
- When the oven is ready, remove the kitchen cloth covering the carrot bread and place the baking pan in the middle of the oven.
- Take your Finnish carrot bread rolls out of the oven after 20 to 25 minutes or when their top turns golden in color.
- Set aside to cool slightly, then serve.
Notes
- Cook’s Tip #1: There is no need to use bread flour to get a moist carrot bread; all-purpose flour will give you excellent results.
- Cook’s Tip #2: Do not grate the carrots too finely if you want to see bits of them in the bread rolls.
- Cook’s Tip #3: You can substitute molasses for honey if you prefer.
- Cook’s Tip #4: Do not hesitate to add a bit more flour if the dough is too wet. The wetness of the dough will depend on the moisture from the grated carrots.
- Cook’s Tip #5: Manual kneading is completely fine if you don’t have a stand mixer.
Naterlee
Can you please clarify the amount of carrots please ?
Neriz
Good grief! I was about to add ‘about 2 medium-sized carrots’ when I noticed it says ‘1 & 172 cups’?! It should have been 1 & 1/2 cups. All updated now. 🙂
Thanks so much for bringing it to my attention Naterlee! 🙂
Naterlee
Awesome ty!! I have an excess of carrots that need using up so will look forward to giving these a try tomorrow ?
Naterlee
Me again sorry does the butter go in the dough or brushed on the rolls? ? thanks
Neriz
Oj! It goes in the dough. It’s now corrected. 🙂 No need to apologize Naterlee — my bad. Too much wine when I clicked ‘publish’ for the post. 😉
Hope you like the rolls! 🙂
Naterlee
I guessed in the dough! just pulled them out the oven and inhaled two oopppsss. I did them 50/50 plain white and strong bread and put some thyme in too and they are AMAZING!
Naterlee
*strong brown bread
Neha
I am loving the sound of these carrot bread rolls and the fact that these use a very few ingredients. Thanks for this post.
Neriz
Thanks Neha! 🙂
Christina Shoemaker
I’ve seen anything like this before and it looks perfect!! Carrots and honey in there?! What a tasty idea! Perfect for Easter and Spring meals!
Annemarie @ justalittlebitofbacon
I love these rolls! They look so soft and tasty. I’ve added veggies mixed into my biscuits but never in my rolls. Thanks for introducing me to this traditional recipe.
Susie
When I read that you could spread gorgonzola over these rolls, I was in! What a yummy twist on a normal dinner roll. Thanks for the great recipe
Susie
When I read that you could spread gorgonzola or blue cheese over these rolls, I was in! What a yummy twist on a normal dinner roll. Thanks for the great recipe
Michelle
This is genius, I love carrots and would never have thought to make carrot rolls, I love the colors and texture looks amazing!
Michelle Blackwood
Wow, I haven’t tried any Finnish bread but now I’m sold and I can’t wait to try it, I love the texture and the shredded carrots give the rolls a lovely color.
Jill
This is such a unique recipe (at least to me). I like pretty much any kind of yeasted roll so I’d like to try these!
georgie
wow these look amazing! I’ve never heard of them before! i always have a ton of carrots in our fridge that I never know what to do with, and now I do!
Cathleen @ A Taste of Madness
These look awesome!! I actually wanted to make something with carrots today, but I looked in my fridge and they all went bad. 🙁 Gotta buy some more so that I can make these bread rolls!
Tracey Keeler
wondering where I can find the history of these. would like to cook with my students and talk about its history.
Mindy
Thank you for this recipe! My husband and I are staying at a hotel in Vantaa, Finland right now they served carrot bread this morning for breakfast. It was SO GOOD (especially with cloudberry jam or dipped in a little plain yogurt topped with luminaries!) I’m excited to try my hand at making it when I get home!
Neriz
You’re welcome Mindy! Ooohh, good that you experience it first hand how the Finns enjoy this bread. Enjoy! 🙂