This strawberry lemon bread was super easy to make, no mixer required and it turned out so good. I took bits and pieces from a few recipes I found on Pinterest and made it my own using what I had. I think you could make this with any kind of berry, I just happened to have a lot of extra strawberries that my mom had gotten from one of our local farms. I have found a lot of joy in baking while I’m forced to be home and have more time on my hands, plus it’s a little something I can drop off and say hi to my parents and grandpa. I’ve always loved to bake but time is normally the factor, so this is my excitement lately, ha. Last time I went to the store I stocked up on the basics like flour, sugar, etc and have just been experimenting whenever I feel like it or when I need to step away from emails or painting projects 🙂
Now for the recipe:
2 cups of all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2-3 lemons
1tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1-2 cups of fresh strawberries, chopped or sliced
1 cup yogurt (I used Siggis Vanilla because its all I had! Greek yogurt is what the original called for though)
1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Start by preheating the oven to 350 and line a standard 9’x5′ loaf pan with parchment paper, this helps to easily remove it once finished (side note: I did not have a normal loaf pan so I used one slightly smaller and put the leftover mix into a muffin tin). In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, zest from one of the lemons, baking soda and salt until combined. Add in one cup of strawberries and gently mix until they are covered with flour. In a separate bowl, whisk the yogurt, butter, lemon juice (just squeezed juice from the lemon I zested), egg and vanilla until creamy and even looking. Then pour this mixture into the dry flour mixture. Using a spatula, fold the mixtures together until it is just combined, don’t over stir it. The dough will not be completely smooth and that’s okay. Pick up the dough and place it in the loaf pan, then top with the remaining strawberries, pressing them gently into the batter. I tried to make a pattern but it didn’t stay once the bread baked up, you could get creative with it! Bake for approximately 45-50 minutes (if you end up doing muffins instead, I would check them at about 30-40 minutes). You will notice when it is getting golden brown around the outsides, use a toothpick or skewer to check (it will come out clean from the center if it’s ready). Then if you want to make a glaze for the top, whisk together 1/2 cup of sugar and juice from the remaining lemons. Pour over the top while the loaf is hot so it soaks up the glaze. Or you could leave this step off if you want them to be more of a breakfast muffin rather than a sweeter treat 🙂 Best eaten within three days of making.
Happy Baking!
xo
