Strawberry Bread
Our house has been blessed with a recent influx of weekend visitors, a credit I award entirely to our comfy, queen-sized guest bed and the loaves of fresh strawberry bread I’ve been baking for every new arrival.
Of course I’d love to credit our home’s popularity to our magnetic personalities and fine selection of French wines, but let’s be real—I purchase my wine at Trader Joe’s, and just LOOK at the shiny glaze on top of strawberry bread! A single slice would persuade me to come visit too.
These fine folks were the first of our summer guests to enjoy this strawberry bread recipe, and this weekend, I’ll be serving a fresh loaf to my best girlfriends. Every year since college graduation, a small group of girls and I have made it a priority to plan a “Girls’ Reunion.” This weekend is our eighth, and we’ll be celebrating here in Milwaukee. In but a few short hours, the girls will arrive, and the shenanigans (and strawberry bread eating) will begin.
In our busy lives, it’s easy to say, “We’ll get together soon,” but challenging to make that “soon” become “today.” I can’t say enough how grateful I am that, eight years, four weddings, three babies (plus one on the way), and thousands of miles later, we have kept our Girls’ Reunion tradition alive. Although we keep in touch via email and text, nothing replaces precious in-person time with some of the best women I’ve ever known.
This Strawberry Bread recipe is ideal for both weekend company and everyday weekday breakfasts and snacks. It’s special enough to serve to guests, but healthy (and EASY) enough to bake on a whim.
This Strawberry Bread recipe also has a tradition of its own. I started baking it eight years ago, when I first went strawberry picking and hauled home five pounds worth, to the shock of my new post-college roomie. I hope she still likes strawberry bread as much now as she did then, because she’ll be on our Girls’ Reunion too!
I’ve tweaked this strawberry bread recipe over the years, and today’s version made with Greek yogurt, loads of fresh strawberries, and whole wheat flour is my favorite version yet. It tastes wonderful fresh from the oven, and the loaves freeze beautifully too. Bake a few while strawberries are at their peak, then stow them away for later months when you are craving a taste of summer.
Tools I used to make this recipe:
- Best loaf pan ever
- Parchment paper
- Strawberry huller (for the true strawberry perfectionist)
Strawberry Bread
Ingredients
FOR THE STRAWBERRY BREAD:
- 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil — melted and cooled to room temperature (or canola oil)
- 1/2 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt — plus 2 tablespoons, at room temperature
- 2 large eggs — at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups small diced strawberries
FOR THE VANILLA GLAZE (optional)
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 8x4-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Line with parchment paper so that you have some overhanging the sides like "handles" then lightly grease again. Set aside.
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In a medium bowl, combine the white whole wheat flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. In a separate bowl or large measuring cup, stir together the sugar and melted coconut oil (this will help keep the oil from resolidifying). Stir in the Greek yogurt, eggs, and vanilla extract.
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Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, then stir together by hand with a rubber spatula, just until evenly combined—do not over mix. The batter will be very thick. Fold in the diced strawberries.
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Scrape the mixture into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. At the 30 minute mark, lightly tent the bread with foil to prevent it from browning too quickly, then continue baking as directed. Remove the pan from the oven, uncover, then set the pan on a wire rack. Let bread cool in the pan completely before slicing (or slice warm and have a messy, yummy pieces of strawberry bread).
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For the vanilla glaze: Whisk all of the ingredients together (powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk) together in a small bowl until smooth. Add more sugar/milk if you desire a thicker or thinner glaze. Remove the bread from the pan and drizzle over the top before serving.
Recipe Notes
- Store leftover strawberry bread tightly wrapped at room temperature for up to 3 days. Freeze for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then allow to come to room temperature before serving.
- I recommend using all room temperature ingredients so that the batter mixes more evenly and the coconut oil does not re-solidify when it hits the cold eggs or Greek yogurt.
Nutrition Information
Amount per serving (1 slice (without glaze)) — Calories: 228, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 1mg, Sodium: 119mg, Carbohydrates: 37g, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 18g, Protein: 6gDid you try this recipe? I want to see! Follow Well Plated on Instagram, snap a photo, and tag it #wellplated. I love to know what you are making!
If you like this Strawberry Bread recipe, don’t miss these other fantastic, healthy quick breads!
Healthy Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips
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About Erin Clarke
I’m fearlessly dedicated to making healthy food taste incredible. Wearer of plaid, travel enthusiast, and firmly convinced that sweets and veggies both deserve a place at the table. MORE ABOUT ERIN…
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This looks so good! I used to pick strawberries in my Grandpa’s huge garden when I was little. Those are fun memories
What an awesome tradition you girls have maintained! The strawberry loaf does indeed look incredible, and I LOVE your adorable colander! I saw a small turquoise one at World Market yesterday, and I wanted to buy it so badly. But we have a {boring} colander already, so I decided against it. Now I realize I was wrong to do so. ;-)
Kori, that’s where I got mine! I couldn’t resist :)
Great minds must think alike! ;-) Maybe I’ll splurge on it one day!
Wow delicious! I love your cute colander and this bread looks so scrumptious- like strawberries & cream in loaf form :)
how perfect is this for summer! i really wish i had a slice right now. lovely photos.
Absolute perfection! Why should bananas have all the fun, right?! ;) Strawberry bread for the win!!!
Couldn’t agree more Marina. Thank you!
Great recipe! Just in time when strawberries are in season and freshest. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Peggy! I hope you love the bread.
hey girl this looks so yummy!
Planning to make this tonight…but just remembered I don’t own a loaf pan. Oops. Target here we come! :) Can’t wait to try it!
And I agree – bananas totally hog the bread limelight.
Not today, bananas. Not today.
This sounds so delicious! I just took my kids strawberry picking and we brought home 11 pounds of strawberries!! I’ve been having so much fun finding new ways to use them! I think I’ll be making a couple loaves of this tomorrow!
Such a nice tradition you have with your friends, being part of a military family I know how important those get-togethers with far away friends can be!! Hope you ladies had a wonderful time :)
Alaina, this bread is meant to be!! And we had a wonderful weekend, thank you so much for asking. I hope you had a good one too!
Love the varieties of food that you combine.. .Very original especially refreshing for Spring and summer.
Thank you so much Judie! I hope you love the bread.
I cannot thank you enough for the blog . Really thank you! Really Cool.
This bread looks delicious! Question for you- I am trying to eat healthy, so I have been looking for some delicious but healthy breakfasts alternatives, and I would love to add this to my list. Is there any way to cut down on the sugar in the recipe? If so, how much?
Hi Adeline! Sugar gives both flavor and texture to baked goods, so I would be careful with how much you take out. I designed this recipe for 2/3 cup sugar, so less than that would certainly be an experiment. You could try doing 1/2 cup and see how it goes, but I wouldn’t do less. You can definitely omit the glaze though, which will take out a lot of sugar. I hope that helps!
I cant believe i’ve never tried strawberry bread before, this sounds a treat! Looks delicious, is it still considered healthy if i eat the whole thing haha!! Can’t wait to try this out myself
I hope you love it, Robbie!
I love your recipes and have signed up to your site:)
The only problem I have is as an expatriate living on a remote Island in Papua New Guinea we can’t buy/purchase yoghurt or sour cream. We can only buy long life boxed cream and this is on rare occasions.
Love to hear if I can bake your cakes omitting the yoghurt
regards Jane
Hi Jane, thank you so much for signing up and reading! Unfortunately the recipes will not come out the same without yogurt. If you have access to regular milk, I’d recommend doing some research into making your own yogurt! If not, I hope you enjoy some of the other recipes you try.