Strawberry Bread Recipe

I think strawberry season is my favourite time of year! And not the least because I get to bake this delicious Strawberry Bread. I wait all year for these fresh sweet fruity jewels to ripen. I do not eat strawberries at any other time of year. I would rather eat my berries freshly picked and in season than to settle for something which has been flown in from afar with a substandard flavor. Out of season berries always disappoint!

Strawberry season means we can enjoy eating them to our fill, fresh out of hand. We also get to enjoy baking them into desserts, pies, and bakes such as this lush Strawberry Bread!

This Strawberry Bread is what is known as a quick bread. It is moist and delicious, lightly flavored with vanilla and ground cardamom, and of course, studded with plenty of ripe berries! Its crowning glory is the sweet Lemon Glaze which gets drizzled over the top after baking. This is a tried and true family favorite recipe and one which I bake at least once a year! I guarantee you are going to love it as well!

We grow our own berries in our garden. I never have any problem using them all up. Its always a race as to who is going to get to them first, us, the slugs, or the birds. I usually win! (Thank goodness!) If I am lucky I can get a few frozen to enjoy in milkshakes and smoothies in the winter!

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MAKE A STRAWBERRY BREAD

Simple ingredients done well!

For the glaze:

HINTS AND TIPS TO MAKE THE BEST STRAWBERRY BREAD

If you follow my handy hints and tips there is no reason why you cannot bake a wonderfully successful strawberry bread!

1. Read through the recipe several times to help familiarise yourself with any ingredients you need, as well as equipment, baking tins, etc. My mom always taught us an ounce of prevention was worth a pound of cure!
2. Assemble all of your ingredients together before you begin, along with your bowls, utensils, baking tins, etc. This really goes a long way towards you forgetting or leaving out an integral ingredient. How many bakers have ruined their cakes by leaving out the baking powder! Do not let that happen to you!
3. Use the freshest, brightest berries that you can for this bread. They will give you the maximum strawberry flavor. Do not be tempted to use frozen berries. They will put out too much moisture and you will end up with a soggy loaf.
4. Cut your berries into small pieces so that they do not sink down to the bottom of the bread. You can also toss them with about 1 TBS of the flour from the recipe, which helps as well.
5. Start with room temperature ingredients. Butter, eggs, flour, sour cream. All should be at room temperature for the best results. Room temperature eggs disperse more evenly. (To bring an egg to room temperature, drop into a cup of warm water and leave for five minutes.)
6. Cream your butter and sugar together until it is nice and light and fluffy. This ensures that the sugar has almost melted into your batter and will be evenly distributed.
7. Beat in the eggs thoroughly, and only one at a time. This helps to prevent your butter and sugar mixture from curdling. If it does curdle, simply beat in 1 TBS of your flour, which will fix that problem.
8. Sift your flour, baking powder, soda, ground cardamom, and salt together so that they are evenly combined. This also aerates your flour and gives the loaf a better lift.
9. Fold the flour mixture into the batter as opposed to beating it in. In quick bread such as this you do not want to overmix your batter as overmixing toughen the batter.
10. Fold the berries into the batter gently so as not to mash them.
11. Do not leave the bread to cool in the tin. This will result in a soggy heavy loaf. Leave it for about 10 minutes and then lift it out onto a wire rack to cool completely. (This is why I prefer to line the pan with baking paper. If I leave an overhang I can easily just lift the baked bread out.)
12. Do make the lovely lemon glaze topping. It is the perfect finish for the perfect bread.

HOW TO MAKE STRAWBERRY BREAD

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350*F. Butter and lightly flour a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf tin, tapping out any excess flour. Set aside. (Alternately you can line it with baking paper. Leave an overhang for ease in lifting it out once baked.)

Step 2

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.

Step 3

Beat in the eggs, one at a time.

Step 4

Stir in the vanilla.

Step 5

Sift the flour, soda, baking powder, salt, and cardamom together.

Step 6

Add to the creamed mixture alternately with the sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, stirring everything together just to combine.

Step 7

Gently fold in the chopped berries.

Step 8

Spoon into the prepare loaf tin, smoothing the top.

Step 9

Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour, until golden brown, well risen and a toothpick inserted into the centre of the bread comes out clean.

Step 10

Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour, until golden brown, well risen and a toothpick inserted into the centre of the bread comes out clean.

Step 11

Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the glaze whisk together the confectioner’s sugar and lemon juice to make a thick drizzle glaze.

Drizzle this over top of the cake and allow to set before serving.

Cut into slices to serve. Store any leftovers in an airtight container and eat within 3 days. (So NOT a problem!)

As you can see I glaze the bread while it is still on the baking paper. It is a simple thing, but makes for a much easier clean up!

SUGGESTIONS FOR SERVING STRAWBERRY BREAD

Strawberry Bread is particularly good served thickly sliced and enjoyed with hot cups of tea or coffee, or even glasses of cold lemonade or milk. It makes for a beautiful addition to a lady’s tea party, sliced thin, each slice cut in half, and then spread with strawberry cream cheese.

You can also leave off the glaze and make strawberry bread sandwiches. Slice thinly and put slices together in pairs with sweetened cream cheese in the middle. Cut into fingers to serve. You can also make this into a nice dessert. Lay slices in the bottom of dessert dishes and top with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and a drizzle of strawberry jam.

One thing is for sure and that is this bread is sure to be warmly received by everyone you serve it to. It is destined to become one of your family favorites too!

Yield: Makes one 9 X 5 X 3 inch loaf

Strawberry Bread Recipe

Print

A deliciously moist strawberry bread filled with lots of fresh berries and glazed with a tangy lemon glaze.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

For Bread

• ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
• ¾ cup of granulated sugar
• 3 large free range eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• ½ cup sour cream or plain yogurt
• 1 ½ cups chopped fresh strawberries

For the Glaze:

• 1 cup of sifted confectioners’ sugar
• Enough fresh lemon juice to give you a thick drizzle

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F. Butter and lightly flour a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf tin, tapping out any excess flour. Set aside. (Alternately you can line I with baking paper. Leave an overhang for ease in lifting it out once baked.)
2. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the vanilla.
3. Whisk the flour, soda, baking powder, salt, and cardamom together. Add to the creamed mixture alternately with the sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, stirring everything together just to combine. Gently fold in the chopped berries.
4. Spoon into the prepare loaf tin, smoothing the top.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour, until golden brown, well risen and a toothpick inserted into the centre of the bread comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. To make the glaze whisk together the confectioner’s sugar and lemon juice to make a thick drizzle glaze. Drizzle this over top of the cake and allow to set before serving.
7. Cut into slices to serve. Store any leftovers in an airtight container and eat within 3 days.

Notes

This strawberry bread will freeze well, properly wrapped, for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before serving. Also, if you are freezing it, do not glaze it before freezing it. Wait and glaze it once thawed.

If you would rather bake muffins than a bread, you can divide the batter between 12 well-greased muffin cups, filling them 2/3 full. Bake at 425*F for 5 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350*F and bake for an additional 12 to 15 minutes, until well risen and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Top with the glaze to serve.

Marie

Marie Rayner is a retired Chef, freelance writer, recipe developer, food blogger, and Cookbook author. She makes her home in Chester, UK, where she lives with her husband, Todd, and their much beloved English Cocker, Mitzie. Her motto is “Life is far too short to eat bad food,” and her goal is to share delicious and easy recipes which anyone can enjoy and cook in the comfort of their own home.