Strawberry Bread with Vanilla Glaze

Bright and sweet, a loaf of this easy Strawberry Bread with a thick vanilla glaze is bursting with beautiful, juicy berries and a rich, moist crumb. Use juicy, ripe, fresh strawberries for a strawberry quick bread that’s delicious at any time of day — breakfast, snack or even dessert!

Fresh strawberries are one of spring’s greatest joys in Virginia. They’re obviously perfect when enjoyed on their own, but when we get a little bit overzealous with our strawberry picking (which seems to happen every year), it’s nice to have a few go-to recipes that will highlight the fruits of our labor. This simple, quick Strawberry Bread is a perfect way to enjoy freshly-picked berries for an easy make-ahead treat.

Ingredients

This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need to bake a loaf of strawberry quick bread. As always, specific measurements and complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.

• All-purpose flour: gives the bread a tender crumb; however, you can swap out half of the all-purpose flour for whole wheat pastry flour if you want to squeeze in some extra wholegrains.
• Granulated sugar: for just the right amount of sweetness.
• Baking powder: the leavening agent that helps the bread rise.
• Salt: to enhance the flavors in the bread.
• Cinnamon: just a touch of warmth.
• Eggs: give the bread structure.
• Milk: adds moisture and brings the batter together.
• Vegetable oil: keeps the loaf of bread ultra moist!
• Vanilla extract: for warm flavor.
• Strawberries: fresh, sweet, in-season berries are best!

Tips for the Strawberries

This bread gets all of its strawberry flavor and a lot of its sweetness from the strawberries themselves, so it’s important to use sweet, ripe berries! Out-of-season store-bought strawberries can be very bland and flavorless — which is not what you want here. You can substitute with frozen strawberries; however, they’re not my preference. The frozen berries bleed in the batter and turn the loaf a weird purplish-blue color. They’re also harder to pat dry (releasing more liquid into the loaf).

Make sure that you dice the strawberries very small, pat them very dry, and toss them with flour before adding them to the batter. This will prevent the berries from sinking to the bottom of the bread.

How to make Strawberry Bread from Scratch

This is a really basic quick bread recipe that comes together in about 15 minutes with pantry staples that you probably already have in your kitchen!

1. Whisk together dry ingredients.
2. Whisk together wet ingredients.
3. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients.
4. Gently fold in the diced, dried, floured strawberries.
5. Transfer the batter to a greased 9 x 5-inch baking dish.
6. Bake in a 350° F oven for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
7. Cool completely on a wire rack.
8. Whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth.
9. Drizzle the glaze over the top of the cool bread. Let the glaze set.
10. Slice and serve!

How to Serve Strawberry Quick Bread

We love this bread on its own for an easy make-ahead breakfast or snack, spread with butter, or with a touch of strawberry jam. For dessert, try topping a warm piece of the bread with a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream and some sliced fresh strawberries — like a Strawberry Shortcake!

Storage

Allow the bread to cool completely on a wire rack before serving or packaging. Wrap the loaf in plastic wrap or foil to prevent it from drying out. The strawberry bread will stay fresh at room temperature on the counter for 1-2 days, and it will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Freezer Instructions

Allow the bread to cool completely, do not glaze, and then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in a Ziploc freezer bag or wrap again with foil. The bread will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw the bread on the countertop. Add the glaze, let it set, then slice and enjoy!​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Note: I have also frozen this bread with the glaze already on it. That works fine, but the glaze just doesn’t look quite as good when it’s thawed.

Recipe Variations

• If you’d like to add some wholegrains to the bread, you can use 1 cup of whole wheat pastry flour and 1 cup of all-purpose flour.
• You can use frozen strawberries rather than fresh strawberries; however, they are not my preference. The frozen strawberries have a tendency to “bleed” and turn the batter a weird pinkish/purplish color. Do not thaw the berries first. Also, make sure to pat the berries as dry as possible and toss them with flour.
• Add some additional mix-in’s! For instance, make Strawberry Nut Bread by stirring in ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts. Add ½ cup (or more!) of miniature chocolate chips for Chocolate Strawberry Bread.
• Bake Strawberry Bread Muffins! Simply divide the batter evenly among standard-size muffin cups. Bake the muffins in a 400° F oven for about 20 minutes.

Tips for the Best Strawberry Bread Recipe

• This bread isn’t too sweet on its own. It relies on the fresh strawberries for both strawberry flavor and for sweetness, so it’s important to use really flavorful, ripe berries in this recipe. The vanilla glaze obviously adds a nice touch of sweetness, too!
• To prevent quick breads or Bundt cakes from sticking to the pan, I prefer to use a baking spray (that includes flour). It also helps to run a knife around the outside of the bread while it’s still warm and cooling in the pan.
• Make sure that you dice the strawberries into very small pieces, pat them dry, and then toss them with flour before folding them into the batter. This will prevent all of the berries from sinking to the bottom.
• I prefer a light colored loaf pan (rather than a dark pan), because the darker pans tend to brown or burn the outside of quick breads before the inside cooks through.
• Be careful not to over-mix your batter. Gently fold, just to combine. Too much mixing will yield a tough, dry loaf. The batter will seem thick, but the berries release a lot of liquid while they bake.
• I like to shield the top of the bread loosely with foil after the first 45 minutes of baking. This prevents the top from becoming too dark, while the rest of the loaf can cook through.

What can I do with a bunch of strawberries?

If you have even more fresh strawberries this season, here are a few more easy recipes to try:

• Strawberry Crisp
• Strawberry Freezer Jam
• Strawberry Shortcake
• Strawberry Shortcake Cake
• Strawberry Jell-O Salad
• Spinach Salad with Strawberries and Poppy Seed Dressing

Strawberry Bread

Prep: 15 minutes minutes

Cook: 58 minutes minutes

Cooling Time 2 hours hours

Total: 3 hours hours 13 minutes minutes

Servings 1 loaf (10-12 slices)

Calories 307 kcal

Bright and sweet, a loaf of this easy Strawberry Bread with sweet vanilla glaze is bursting with beautiful, juicy berries and a rich, moist crumb!

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Ingredients

  

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FOR THE BREAD:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup milk
• ⅓ cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups finely-diced fresh strawberries, patted dry and tossed with 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour
• Optional: ½ cup chopped pecans

FOR THE GLAZE:

• 1 ¼ cups confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan; set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, oil and vanilla extract.
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until combined; do not over-mix. Gently fold in the strawberries and pecans (if using).
• Transfer batter to the prepared loaf pan.
• Bake for 55 minutes – 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. You may want to cover the bread loosely with foil after the first 45 minutes to prevent the top from becoming too dark.
• Allow the bread to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

PREPARE THE GLAZE:

• Once the bread is completely cool, combine the confectioners’ sugar, milk and vanilla extract in a bowl. Whisk until smooth. If the glaze seems too thin, add more confectioners' sugar. If it’s too thick, add a small amount of milk.
• Drizzle the glaze over the cool bread. Once the glaze is set, slice and serve!

Notes

• This bread isn’t too sweet on its own. It relies on the fresh strawberries for both strawberry flavor and for sweetness, so it’s important to use really flavorful, ripe berries in this recipe. The vanilla glaze obviously adds a nice touch of sweetness, too!
• To prevent quick breads or Bundt cakes from sticking to the pan, I prefer to use a baking spray (that includes flour). It also helps to run a knife around the outside of the bread while it’s still warm and cooling in the pan.
• Make sure that you dice the strawberries into very small pieces, pat them dry, and then toss them with flour before folding them into the batter. This will prevent all of the berries from sinking to the bottom.
• I prefer a light colored loaf pan (rather than a dark pan), because the darker pans tend to brown or burn the outside of quick breads before the inside cooks through.
• Be careful not to over-mix your batter. Gently fold, just to combine. Too much mixing will yield a tough, dry loaf. The batter will seem thick, but the berries release a lot of liquid while they bake.
• I like to shield the top of the bread loosely with foil after the first 45 minutes of baking. This prevents the top from becoming too dark, while the rest of the loaf can cook through.
•  

Nutrition

Serving: 1/10 of the loafCalories: 307kcalCarbohydrates: 53gProtein: 5gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 144mgPotassium: 273mgFiber: 1gSugar: 32gVitamin A: 77IUVitamin C: 13mgCalcium: 114mgIron: 2mg

Keyword: strawberry bread, strawberry bread from scratch, strawberry quick bread

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American, Southern

Author: Blair Lonergan

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