This is a wonderful quick bread. It is a great use for strawberries that are left over to the next day or two. During strawberry season we love to eat fresh strawberries with cream and sugar. But the next day those strawberries are not as good for eating, making them perfect for this bread. The almond extract really gives a flavor boost. It is good with streusel added to the top and bottom of the batter. Mix equal parts of flour and sugar and then stir in about 1/4-1/3 the amount of melted butter. It should be a moist crumbly texture. Then just sprinkle some in the bottom of the greased loaf pan before pouring in the batter. Then sprinkle more streusel on top of the batter before popping it in the oven.
STRAWBERRY BREAD
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 2/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 eggs, well beaten
- 1 1/4 cups slightly mashed strawberries (if using frozen, defrost first and drain well)
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt.
In a separate bowl, stir together the sugar, oil, almond extract, eggs, strawberries and pecans. Add the strawberry mixture to the flour mixture, stirring just until all ingredients are moist.
Pour the batter into pan. Bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool in pan a few minutes then loosen edges with a plastic knife and turn out of pan to cool on wire rack.
Yields one loaf.
Recipe from Innkeepers’ Best Quick Breads by Laura Zahn.