The Strawberry season is upon us! Of course, raw strawberries are nature’s candy, but just wait until you’ve tried them baked into bread. ‘Bread’ here is used loosely. It’s the same idea as banana bread. It’s technically cake, but we want to eat it for breakfast, so let’s pretend it’s bread. Soft, sweet, and tasty with a melt-in-your-mouth pink strawberry glaze, this bread is a spring treat.
Baking with fresh fruit can be tricky because they add a lot of moisture. For this strawberry bread recipe, finely diced strawberries work perfectly. The bread will be wonderfully moist, but not soggy. When you add the strawberries, keep in mind to gently fold them into the batter. As with all quick bread recipes, it’s best not to overmix the ingredients. And this is a quick recipe; you need only 10 minutes to throw all of these ingredients together.
Everyone deserves a tasty treat once in a while, so please, leave room for a little indulgence, it’s good for our mental health. After all, a generally happy, healthy lifestyle should include balance, not extreme restrictions. That being said, here at The Hearty Soul, we’d like to offer a second version of this strawberry bread for those with food sensitives. This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan-friendly. It also uses coconut sugar for those who strive to eliminate refined sugar from their diets.
Enjoy the bread, whether you want to indulge in the original or the “healthy” option. You can’t lose with either version, not when fresh strawberries are involved!
Quick Strawberry Bread
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 10
Author: Julie Clark from Tastes of Lizzy T
INGREDIENTS:
For the Bread:
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup avocado oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or almond extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups diced strawberries
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (to coat the strawberries)
For the Glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1/3 cup finely diced strawberries
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or almond extract
- 1–2 tablespoons heavy cream or milk* (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a medium bowl, mix the sugar, milk, oil, egg, and vanilla or almond extract. In a separate bowl, stir the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir until the batter is just combined.
- In a small bowl, stir the diced strawberries and the 2 tablespoons of flour until the strawberries are well-coated.
- Fold the prepared strawberries gently into the batter.
- Pour the batter into a greased 9×5 bread pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 50–55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the bread to cool for 10 minutes, then set the bread onto a wire rack to cool.
- To make the glaze: Combine the powdered sugar, melted butter, diced strawberries, and extract in a small bowl.
- Mix until smooth.
- Once the bread is completely cool, spread the glaze on top of the bread.
- Slice and serve.
NOTES:
*The cream or milk may not be necessary to make the glaze spreadable. This could depend on how juicy the strawberries are. If the glaze is too thick to mix up properly, add a bit of milk or heavy cream a bit at a time until the glaze is creamy and pink.
Read: How to Make Key Lime Pound Cake with Dairy-Free Cream Cheese
Gluten Free & Vegan Options
INGREDIENTS:
For the Bread:
- 3/4 cup coconut sugar (see notes below for low carb option***)
- 1/2 cup almond or coconut milk
- 1/2 cup avocado oil
- 1 large egg (or egg substitute for vegans)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or almond extract
- 2 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour*
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups diced strawberries
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose gluten-free flour* (to coat the strawberries)
For the Glaze:
- 2 cups coconut sugar
- 2 tbsp tapioca flour
- 2 tablespoons melted coconut butter
- 1/3 cup finely diced strawberries
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or almond extract
- 1–2 tablespoons almond or coconut milk** (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the coconut sugar, almond or coconut milk, avocado oil, egg (or flax egg) and vanilla or almond extract.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir until the batter is just combined.
- In a small bowl, toss the diced strawberries and the 2 tablespoons of gluten-free flour until the strawberries are coated. Fold the prepared strawberries gently into the batter.
- Pour the batter into a greased 9×5 bread pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50–55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the bread cool for 10 minutes, then set the bread on a wire rack to cool.
- To make the glaze: Blend the coconut sugar and tapioca flour in a high-powdered blender, starting with slow speed then increase to high speed for about 1 to 2 minutes. The sugar should look completely powdered and light brown in color. (Tip: Wait a few minutes for the sugar and flour to settle before opening the lid.)
- Combine the “powdered sugar,” melted coconut butter, diced strawberries, and extract in a small bowl. Mix until it is smooth.
- Once the bread is completely cool, spread the glaze on top of the bread. Slice and serve.
Enjoy!
NOTES:
*To make homemade paleo all-purpose gluten-free flour, check out this recipe from Tasty Thin. Simply sift together:
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1 cup arrowroot flour
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca flour
Measure out the 2 cups and 2 tbsp needed for this recipe, and store the rest in an airtight container.
**The cream or milk may not be necessary to make the glaze spreadable. This could depend on how juicy the strawberries are. If the glaze is too thick to mix up properly, add a little bit of milk or heavy cream at a time until the glaze is creamy and pink.
*** If you’re looking to reduce your sugar/carb intake, you can try this golden monk fruit sweetener instead of coconut sugar. It can be substituted 1:1.