Strawberry Bread
A moist, tender quick bread loaded with fresh strawberries and a crunchy sparkling sugar crust, with no gumminess whatsoever.
Servings: 1 standard loaf (approximately 10 slices)
Ingredients
- 8 ounces fresh strawberries 1 ½ cups chopped (small dice)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour for strawberries
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour for batter
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup low fat buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup coconut oil melted and a little warm
- 2 tablespoons white sparkling sugar for finishing (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F conventional. Spray a standard 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- Rinse and dry the strawberries. Remove stems and cut into a small dice, about 1 centimeter cubed. Place in a small bowl and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, sugar, and warm coconut oil. Vigorously whisk until smooth and fully emulsified.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk just until a smooth batter forms. Stop whisking as soon as no dry streaks remain.
- Toss the diced strawberries in the 2 tablespoons of flour, then scoop them into the batter, being careful not to add any extra flour from the bottom of the bowl.
- Gently fold the strawberries into the batter. Dollop and spread the batter into the prepared loaf pan, making sure batter with plenty of strawberries ends up on top, not just the bottom.
- Sprinkle with sparkling sugar if using.
- Bake for approximately 55 minutes, rotating the pan once at the 45-minute mark. The loaf is done when a toothpick comes out with a few clinging crumbs and the center offers light resistance when touched.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Use a serrated knife for the cleanest slices.
Notes
Technique: Toss the strawberries in flour right before folding them into the batter, and do not scoop up the excess flour from the bottom of the bowl.
Filling the pan: Make a conscious effort to scrape batter from the bottom of the bowl into the pan first, then layer batter loaded with strawberries on top. This is what prevents all the fruit from sinking to the bottom of the loaf.
Rotation timing: Do not rotate the pan before the 45-minute mark. The center crumb needs time to mostly set before you jostle the pan, or it can collapse.
Storage: Store at room temperature, well wrapped, for up to 3 days. Freeze whole or sliced for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature or warm individual slices briefly before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 2494kcal | Carbohydrates: 405g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 85g | Saturated Fat: 64g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 332mg | Sodium: 3821mg | Potassium: 916mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 218g | Vitamin A: 560IU | Vitamin C: 135mg | Calcium: 622mg | Iron: 14mg