I needed to bake some sweeet bread for someone, so I decided on a recipe a teacher friend shared many years ago. This strawberry bread is moist and flavorful without being too sweetsie. Made with frozen berries, it goes together easily and freezes well. I made a half-batch because it was enough for my needs.
Strawberry Bread
3 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 (10 ounce) packages frozen strawberries, thawed
1 1/4 c. cooking oil
1 1/4 c. pecans
4 eggs, well beaten
Sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Mix strawberries with oil, pecans and eggs; pour into well. Slowly and thoroughly mix with flour mixture. Put in two well-greased loaf pans or 6 mini loaf pans. Bake at 350 for about 1 hour or until bread springs back when touched in center. (My baking time was less.)
It's best when the slices are warm. Speaking of sliced, I know everyone heard on the news that this past Saturday was the 90th anniversary of sliced bread. It's especially interesting to note that this invention happened in our state! Chillicothe Baking Company (in Chillicothe, Mo) first sold sliced bread on July 7, 1928. Otto Rohwedder invented the slicing machine that was used. Although born in Iowa, he was living in Missouri. Prior to his invention, it was necessary for people to slice their own bread in their kitchens, of course. While researching, I discovered that sliced bread wasn't an instant success. It tended to dry out more quickly (remember, there were no preservatives then). Some customers felt the loaves had a rather unkept appearance and so, in response, Mr. Rohwedder invented a U-shaped pin that was inserted in the ends of the bread to keep it together and that improved the presentation. His machine was tweaked over the years and everyone seemed to agree that his idea was a good thing!
Any way you slice it, I hope your day is berry good.