Recipe: Strawberry Bread

Strawberries, the smell of childhood summers. Sweet, plump to bursting and heart-shaped, like a box of chocolates on Valentine's Day. Red and sun-ripened, staining my fingers pink as I pick them fresh from the fields of Pungo, Virginia, age 10, walking the rows with Little Brother and Little Sister, enjoying the small, dull thunk each berry makes when I throw it into my plastic bucket. We eat a few along the way, the June heat beating down on the tops of our heads, and when our short legs grow tired we find our father. We raise our buckets up to the farmer to weigh, proud of our haul, eyes shining. "Look what we did!" we seem to say with pink smiles. Little Brother especially loves strawberries - in shortcake, on cereal, plain.

Strawberry Bread
Yield: 2 loaves

This recipe is courtesy of Kew on eGullet. I'd never seen a recipe for strawberry bread till I ran across the thread there, and it sounded delicious, sweet, a perfect breakfast bread to accompany Spring as she continues to battle the lingering days of Winter here in our City by the Bay.

3 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups sliced strawberries, mashed
1 1/2 cups cooking oil (or a healthier option, 1/2 cup oil + 1 cup milk)
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour two bread loaf pans (or butter and flour one pan and bake one loaf at a time).
2. Beat eggs with an electric mixer on medium until thick and lemon-color, 5 minutes. Add sugar and beat just until combined. Add mashed berries and oil, and mix till combined.
3. Stir dry ingredients together. Add to the above and stir until just moistened.
4. Pour batter into pans and bake until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Loosen edges and remove from pans and cool completely on wire rack. Wrap and store overnight before slicing.

Comments

[Mom]

This sounds delicious! I plan to make it & take a loaf to the Grandparents on our next trip!

[tanvi]

Im intrigued! I guess if one can make blueberry bread, strawberry is not a stretch. Thanks for including the healthier cooking option- Ill give this a try some day.