Carrot Bread (oops!)

Emileee once asked why I never seem to have kitchen disasters, and I assured her I had many. Here's proof:

Always, always, ALWAYS lay down something between your cake and your pan! Even if the recipe doesn't say so, even if you spray, and even if you use a nostick pan. I mean, how much time and money would it have cost me to put down a little rectangle of aluminum foil or parchment paper? Oh well, at least it wasn't a present. The recipe's still worth trying if you want a breakfast bread that's not very sweet.

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat pastry flour)
• 1/2 whole wheat flour (you can use all-purpose)
• 1/2 cup cornmeal (substitute with polenta, and grind the polenta and whole wheat flour until they're pretty fine if you really don't like grittiness like in corn bread)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 to 1 1/4 cups sugar (it's really up to you, I used 3/4 so I can stomach it first thing in the morning)
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup melted butter (I used light olive oil, you can use extra virgin if you like olive oil cakes or don't mind a mild grassy flavor)
• 1 1/4 cups milk (I used 1 cup milk and 1/4 cup yogurt)
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup grated carrots (apples, zucchini, or banana would also work)
• 1/2 cup nuts or raisins if you like

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the dry ingredients and whisk together. Beat the egg into the milk and butter. Create a well in the dry ingredients, and pour in the wet ingredients, grated carrots, and add-ins. With a spatula, fold the wet and dry ingredients with a few swift folds. The batter should be combined (no huge pockets of dry ingredients) but still lumpy. Don't whisk everything together or start stirring like crazy.

Pour into a greased loaf pan (lined with something!) and bake for up to an hour. Start checking with a toothpick 45 minutes in, as your oven may be different from mine. Remove the bread as soon as a toothpick inserted into the center comes out dry. Let cool for five to ten minutes, then invert onto a rack and let cool completely before cutting.