With an ill little boy at home, I didn't actually make it to the grocery store this weekend. We're not eating ramen noodles yet, but there was definitely no trip to get the items needed for a full meal on Test Kitchen Tuesday.
Looking in my fridge I saw strawberries on the brink of disaster, and a box of eggs (note: check inside the box when assuming you actually have eggs. Just sayin.)
So I did a quick search for the most logical answer - Strawberry Bread. A version of the classic banana bread but, ya know, with strawberries. Easy enough right.
Apparently Not.for.me. If baking is an exact science, then I my friends, am a no Einstein. Surprising I know.
So here's the grocery list and then I'll share how this Strawberry Bread went down.
(Original Recipe)
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh strawberries
- 3 1/8 cups all-purpose flour (I only used 3)
- 2 cups white sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil (I recommend the Greek Yogurt substitution)
- 4 eggs, beaten (this is debatable - see below)
- 1 1/4 cups chopped pecans (totally optional, right?)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter and flour two 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. No problem here, simple enough.Slice strawberries, and place in medium-sized bowl. Sprinkle lightly with sugar, and set aside while preparing bread mixture.Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and baking soda in large bowl: mix well.
Got it covered. All strawberries sliced and bread mixture ingredients prepped.At this point, we're moving along nicely.Now I'd like to introduce the idea of a 2-year old sous chef. Great for learning. Not for bread.
Dressed like a Rock Star. That's her words, not mine. Promise. And Yes it's past her bedtime, but remember, she's a rock star.Ok, blend oil and eggs into strawberries.
I open up the egg carton to find only one (1!) egg left. Refer to your notes above - you need four (4!). Ok, don't panic. We like our neighbors. They like us right? So I put in a quick call. And miraculously 2 more eggs appear at my door. With my handy highschool education, I devise that I now have 3 eggs. Still not enough - but we're gonna wing it. Me and E. Until I turn my back and E decides to "crack the egg myself mama." Oh good. And in slow motion I watch one egg crack and ooze to the floor.
Even.better. So 2 eggs. Had I deployed the other half of my highschool math I would have realized that I could have halved the recipe and saved one half until I got more eggs. But it fails me at the most convenient times... so I went with it. All 2 eggs, me, and the sous chef moved to the next step.Add strawberry mixture to flour mixture, blending until dry ingredients are just moistened. Stir in pecans (we did not). Divide batter into pans.
OMG! It looks like paste. Whoopdie-doo.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until tester inserted comes out clean. Let cool in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn loaves out, and cool completely.
And Ta-DA.
It actually doesn't taste bad. I've been eating it for breakfast. Maybe not a disaster, but not the finest moments in Sugarbritches land. I loved every.stinkin.minute!
Ratings (out of 5):
Weeknight Worthy - 4 eggs. Really simple. Maybe make sure your sous chef is off duty. And you have all the ingredients.
Family Friendly - 4 eggs. We really do like it. E asks for it for breakfast. Too much sugar though. I recommend cutting it down (half or 2/3 maybe?)
Clean-Up - 3 eggs. Baking is a mess. But this was relatively simple. Clean as you go. Or as eggs break. Whatev.
Freeze-ability - 5 eggs. Absolutely! I love to freeze breads for a quick breakfast when I didn't get to the store all weekend. Throw some almond butter on it head out!
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