Moist Strawberry Bread Recipe
This Moist Strawberry Bread Recipe is the perfect way to celebrate the arrival of sweet, red spring berries. It features a very tender crumb juicy fruit pieces and a beautiful pink glaze on top today.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups fresh strawberries diced small
- 1 tablespoon flour to toss with berries
- 1 cup powdered sugar for glaze
- 2 tablespoons mashed strawberries for glaze
Instructions
Prep the Oven
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease your 9x5 inch loaf pan very well with butter. Line the bottom with parchment paper to ensure your Moist Strawberry Bread pops out easily after it finishes baking.
Whisk Dry Ingredients
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt together until blended. This step ensures the leavening agents are spread evenly so your bread rises perfectly in the hot oven today.
Prepare the Berries
- Wash and dry your fresh strawberries carefully before dicing them into small, bite-sized pieces for the batter. Toss the berries with one tablespoon of flour to prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the pan.
Mix Wet Ingredients
- In a medium bowl, beat the egg, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract together until the mixture is smooth. Using oil instead of butter keeps the bread very moist and soft for several days after you bake.
Combine the Mixtures
- Pour the wet ingredients into the large bowl with the dry flour mixture and stir gently with a spatula. Do not overmix the batter at this stage or the bread will become very tough and quite dense.
Fold in Fruit
- Gently fold the floured strawberry pieces into the thick batter using a slow and careful circular motion today. The flour coating helps the fruit stay suspended throughout the entire loaf for a perfect slice every time.
Fill the Pan
- Pour the pink-flecked batter into your prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with your rubber spatula evenly. Tap the pan on the counter once to release any large air bubbles trapped inside the sweet mixture.
Bake until Golden
- Bake for fifty-five to sixty-five minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and dry. The top should be a light golden brown and the edges should start to pull away from the pan.
Cool on Rack
- Let the bread cool in the pan for ten minutes before moving it to a wire cooling rack. It is important to let it cool completely before adding the sweet glaze so the icing does not melt.
Glaze and Slice
- Whisk the powdered sugar and mashed strawberries together to create a bright pink and very sweet topping. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled bread and let it set for ten minutes before slicing into thick pieces.
Notes
- Use frozen strawberries if fresh ones are not in season, but do not thaw them before adding.
- Add half a cup of chopped walnuts or pecans for a delicious and very crunchy nutty texture.
- Swap the vanilla extract for almond extract to give the bread a sophisticated and sweet cherry-like aroma — the same trick works beautifully in a berry-packed blueberry muffin batter if you ever want to bake up a batch alongside this loaf.
- Always toss your fruit in a little flour so the strawberries do not end up in a pile at the bottom.