Super Moist Strawberry Bread with Sweet Glaze: Your New Favorite Quick Bread Recipe

Indulge in the ultimate homemade treat with this incredible Strawberry Bread recipe. This quick bread is wonderfully moist, bursting with fresh strawberries, and crowned with a delightful sweet glaze that elevates it to pure perfection. Easy to prepare, it’s destined to become a staple in your kitchen!

There’s something undeniably comforting and satisfying about baking muffins and quick breads. They represent simplicity and ease in the kitchen, offering delicious results without requiring extensive time or advanced baking skills. Among the countless recipes I’ve tried, this particular strawberry bread stands out as a true masterpiece. Its tender crumb, rich flavor, and the vibrant addition of fresh strawberries make it an absolute showstopper, whether enjoyed as a breakfast staple, an afternoon snack, or a delightful dessert.

What makes this strawberry bread truly exceptional is its profound moistness and the generous scattering of sweet, juicy fresh strawberries throughout the loaf. Fresh strawberries inherently enhance any baked good, and their inclusion here is a stroke of genius. While the bread is already divine on its own, the optional sweet glaze truly takes it over the top, transforming it into a luxurious treat. Trust me on this: don’t skip the glaze!

The Secret to Perfect Strawberry Bread: Avoiding Soggy Results

Strawberries, like many berries, contain a significant amount of moisture. If added directly to the batter, this moisture can lead to a soggy bread and cause the berries to sink to the bottom of the loaf during baking. To prevent this common issue and ensure your strawberry bread is perfectly tender with evenly distributed fruit, a crucial step is to toss your chopped strawberries in a little bit of flour before incorporating them into the batter. This light coating of flour acts as a protective barrier, absorbing excess moisture and allowing the berries to suspend beautifully throughout the bread. This technique is similar to what we do with recipes like our Lemon Blueberry Cake, and it’s a proven method for achieving superior texture in quick breads, cakes, and muffins alike.

How To Make Strawberry Bread: A Simple Guide

Crafting this delicious strawberry bread is straightforward, making it an ideal recipe for both novice and experienced bakers. The key lies in following a few simple steps to ensure a moist, flavorful, and beautifully textured loaf every time. Let’s walk through the process to create this delightful quick bread:

1. Prepare Dry Ingredients: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Ensuring these dry ingredients are well combined is essential for even leavening throughout your bread.
2. Combine Wet Ingredients: In a separate, larger bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, light brown sugar, egg, vegetable oil, milk, and almond extract. Beat these wet ingredients thoroughly until they are smooth and fully incorporated. This creates the flavorful liquid base for your bread.
3. Gently Mix Batter: Gradually add the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix just until everything is combined and no dry streaks of flour remain. Be very careful not to overmix the batter; overmixing can lead to a tough and dense bread, which is exactly what we want to avoid for a tender quick bread.
4. Prepare and Fold in Strawberries: Toss your finely chopped fresh strawberries with a couple of tablespoons of flour. This critical step, as mentioned, prevents them from sinking and ensures a moist, not soggy, bread. Gently fold the coated strawberries into the batter until they are evenly distributed. Over-mixing here can also crush the delicate berries.
5. Bake to Perfection: Pour the batter into a greased 8×4 inch loaf pan. Bake in a preheated oven for approximately 55-65 minutes, or until a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. The top should be golden brown and the bread should feel firm to the touch.

The Irresistible Glaze

While this strawberry bread is absolutely delightful on its own, adding a simple yet incredibly flavorful glaze truly transforms it. This glaze isn’t just an extra step; it’s the element that elevates your quick bread from a pleasant snack to a truly indulgent dessert experience. It adds an extra layer of sweetness and a beautiful sheen, making each slice feel like a special treat.

Here’s what you’ll need for this simple glaze:

• Powdered Sugar
• Almond Extract (or Vanilla Extract)
• Milk

To prepare, simply whisk together the powdered sugar, almond extract (or vanilla for a different flavor profile), and milk in a small bowl until you achieve a smooth, pourable consistency. You might need to adjust the amount of milk or powdered sugar slightly to get your desired thickness – a little more milk for a thinner glaze, or a touch more powdered sugar for a thicker one. Remember, consistency is key for a beautiful drizzle!

A crucial tip for glazing: ensure your strawberry bread has cooled completely before applying the glaze. If the bread is still warm, the glaze will melt and soak into the bread rather than forming a lovely, distinct layer on top. Patience here pays off in presentation and taste.

Expert Quick Bread Tips for Success

Achieving the perfect quick bread, with its signature moist crumb and tender texture, is made easy with a few key tips. These insights will help you avoid common pitfalls and ensure your strawberry bread turns out perfectly every time:

• Flavor Customization with Extracts: Our recipe primarily calls for almond extract, which we find pairs wonderfully with strawberries, adding a subtle depth of flavor. However, if almond isn’t your preference or if you don’t have it on hand, feel free to substitute with an equal amount of pure vanilla extract. Vanilla provides a classic, comforting flavor that will be equally delicious.
• Flour-Coating Your Berries is Non-Negotiable: As highlighted earlier, this step is absolutely vital. Tossing your strawberries in a couple of tablespoons of flour before adding them to the batter serves two critical purposes: it prevents the berries from sinking to the bottom of the pan during baking, ensuring even distribution throughout the loaf, and it helps absorb excess moisture, which is crucial for preventing a soggy bread texture.
• Mind the Berry Moisture and Size: Strawberries are juicy, which is fantastic for flavor but can impact your batter’s consistency. Avoid adding more berries than the recipe specifies, as their high moisture content can throw off the delicate balance of the wet-to-dry ingredients, potentially leading to a denser or wetter bread. Additionally, make sure your strawberries are finely diced into small pieces. This ensures that every bite of your bread gets a delightful pop of strawberry flavor and helps them distribute more evenly without creating large pockets of moisture.
• The Importance of Separate Mixing Bowls: While it might seem like an extra step, mixing your wet and dry ingredients in separate bowls before combining them is fundamental for achieving a light and tender quick bread. This method helps to properly activate the leavening agents (baking powder and baking soda) and, more importantly, makes it much easier to avoid overmixing the batter once the wet and dry ingredients are together. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour too much, resulting in a tough, chewy bread. Aim to mix only until the flour streaks disappear.
• Cool Completely Before Glazing: This tip is worth repeating because it’s so important for the glaze’s success. Your bread must be completely cool to the touch before you pour on the glaze. If the bread is still even slightly warm, the glaze will simply melt and soak into the bread, rather than forming a beautiful, opaque, and slightly firm layer on the surface. Allow ample time for cooling on a wire rack.

Fresh Or Frozen Berries & Creative Variations

When it comes to baking with strawberries, fresh berries often yield the best flavor and texture, which is why they are my top recommendation for this recipe. Their vibrant taste and firm structure truly shine through. However, if fresh strawberries are out of season or unavailable, you can absolutely use frozen ones. The key is to prepare them correctly: make sure to completely thaw the frozen berries and drain off any excess moisture thoroughly before tossing them with flour and folding them into the batter. This step is crucial to prevent your bread from becoming watery or dense.

Beyond strawberries, this versatile quick bread recipe serves as an excellent base for other fruits and add-ins. Don’t hesitate to get creative and experiment with different flavor combinations to suit your taste. You could even incorporate some chopped nuts for added texture and richness!

Consider these delicious alternatives or additions:

• Blueberries
• Raspberries
• Cherries (pitted and chopped)
• Blackberries
• White chocolate chips (with strawberries or other berries)
• Toasted pecans or walnuts for a delightful crunch

Serving and Storage Suggestions

This strawberry bread is wonderfully versatile and can be enjoyed in many ways. Serve it warm with a pat of butter for a comforting breakfast, or as a delightful treat with your afternoon coffee or tea. When glazed, it makes an excellent light dessert. For longer enjoyment, store the bread at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. You can also freeze individual slices or the whole loaf for up to 2-3 months. Simply wrap tightly in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. Thaw at room temperature or warm gently in the microwave or oven when you’re ready to enjoy.

More Strawberry Recipes To Love

• Strawberry Muffins
• Fresh Strawberry Pie
• Strawberry Brownies
• Homemade Strawberry Milk
• Strawberry Shortcake Pancakes
• Strawberry Crumb Bars
• Strawberry Cream Squares

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