Description
Fresh and fluffy strawberry bread is a soft and moist quick bread bursting with juicy fresh strawberries and a light, tender crumb. This lightly sweetened bread offers a beautiful pink-speckled appearance and is perfect for breakfast, brunch, or a delightful dessert.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (for tossing strawberries)
Wet Ingredients
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup vegetable oil or melted butter
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Fruit
- 1½ cups fresh strawberries, diced
Instructions
- Prepare the Oven and Pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan thoroughly to prevent sticking.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 cups all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to ensure even distribution of leavening agents and seasoning.
- Combine Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, blend the granulated sugar, milk, vegetable oil or melted butter, eggs, and vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth and homogenous.
- Incorporate Dry into Wet: Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring gently just until combined. Avoid overmixing to keep the bread tender.
- Prepare Strawberries: Toss the diced fresh strawberries with 1 tablespoon of flour; this helps prevent the berries from sinking to the bottom during baking.
- Fold Strawberries into Batter: Gently fold the floured strawberries into the batter, distributing them evenly without crushing.
- Transfer Batter to Pan: Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread it out evenly to ensure uniform baking.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean, indicating it is done.
- Cool: Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes to firm up, then carefully transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing to maintain texture and flavor.
Notes
- Use fresh strawberries rather than frozen; frozen tend to release excess moisture, which can affect the bread’s texture.
- Tossing the strawberries in flour helps keep them suspended in the batter to avoid sinking.
- If the top of the bread browns too quickly during baking, tent it loosely with foil to prevent burning.
- Store the bread at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate for up to 4 days to maintain freshness.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
