March 14, 2008

recipe to try: strawberry bread

I haven't met a dessert bread that I didn't like. Banana, pumpkin, zucchini... you name it. I like it. And I bake them often. They're easy. I almost always have all the ingredients on hand. And they're a hit with whoever I share them with.

So, when I spotted this recipe for Strawberry Bread in a back issue of Everyday Food, I just knew I had to try it out. I never thought to use strawberries in bread before, but this recipe proves that the combination is friggin' delicious. Soft and chewy with a hint of cinnamon and sweet strawberry chunks that melt in your mouth. Perfect with a tall glass of milk.

I made a loaf last week, and we scarfed it down in like two days or something ridiculous, so then I made it again for work, and my co's gobbled it right up. This recipe is definitely a keeper.

(flour mixture? check. strawberries? check. sugar, butter & eggs? check check check.)

So, go ahead and give yourself a little treat this weekend. Make this bread, and enjoy every last crumb.

Strawberry Bread
Serves 8

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 pint strawberries, rinsed, hulled, quartered, and mashed with a fork
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs (I used beaters equivalent)
1/3 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter an 8-by-4-inch loaf pan.
In a small saucepan, bring strawberries to a boil over medium heat. Cook, stirring, about 1 minute. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt; set aside. With an electric mixer, cream butter, sugar, and eggs in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add flour mixture alternately with 1/3 cup water, beginning and ending with flour. Fold in reserved strawberries.

Scrape batter into prepared pan, smoothing top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour (tent with foil after 45 minutes if top is getting too dark). Cool in pan 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges; invert onto a rack. Reinvert; cool completely.

Note: I wish I remembered to take a photo of a finished loaf, but it was already halfway gone before I remembered. Oops!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

So the enemy that I call baking -could not keep me away from attempting to cook this bread. It seemed like a perfect springtime treat-and treat it is. The smells while cooking had me standing at the stove tapping my foot in anticipation. Thanks for the yummy in my tummy recipe. I was going to bake it to take to Easter brunch but instead its staying safe within my reach. you are so creative.

Anonymous said...

ooh - I'm glad you liked it! I made another loaf and brought it to Easter yesterday. And I agree - it can't come out of the oven fast enough - that cinnamon-y goodness is too much to try to be patient for!