Give a loaf of bread

There is a double satisfaction in baking holiday gift breads: the personal joy in creating something with your own hands and the knowledge that it will be appreciated more than a purchased gift, which can often miss the mark.

As a change from the usual fruitcakes and breads, try this season, some of the hearty, not-too-sweet breads from one or more fresh vegetables - such as carrot, zucchini, pumpkin.

Carrot-Coconut Bread

3 eggs

1/2 cup salad oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups finely shredded carrots

2 cups packaged grated coconut

1 cup raisins

1 cup chopped walnuts

2 cups unsifted all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup sugar

In large bowl, beat eggs until light. Stir in salad oil and vanilla. Add carrots, coconut, raisins, and nuts and mix until well blended.

Combine flour, salt, soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and sugar. Sift into first mixture. Stir just until well blended. Spoon into a well-buttered and floured, 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.

Bake in a 350-degree F. oven for about 1 hour, or until bread tests done. Remove from pan and cool. Flavor and texture improve if bread is wrapped and refrigerated for several days. Makes 1 loaf.

Zucchini-Walnut Bread

13/4 cups unbleached flour

3 tablespoons raw wheat germ

21/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 egg

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

1/2 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup grated zucchini

1/2 cup toasted chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. Mix together dry ingredients. Beat together egg, butter, honey, and vanilla. Fold in zucchini. Blend with dry ingredients just until moistened. Stir in nuts.

Turn into prepared pan and bake until golden, about 50 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Pumpkin Bread

4 eggs

1 cup salad oil

2/3 cup water

2 cups cooked mashed pumpkin

31/3 cups flour

3 cups granulated sugar

2 teaspoons soda

11/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon powdered cloves

Beat eggs. Add oil, water, and pumpkin and mix well. Sift flour together with sugar, soda, salt, and spices.

Make a well in center of these ingredients and add pumpkin mixture to this. Stir just until all ingredients are mixed. Turn into 3 well-oiled loaf tins.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 1 hour. Remove pans from oven. Set on rack and let bread cool before removing from tins.