Bakery-Style Strawberry Bread with Glaze
This Bakery-Style Strawberry Bread with Glaze is a moist, tender quick bread bursting with sweet berry flavor and finished with a vibrant pink strawberry icing. Sour cream and fresh strawberries equal a loaf that’s much richer than your standard banana bread, delivering a bakery-quality treat in about an hour. It’s the perfect way to celebrate strawberry season, making for a beautiful brunch centerpiece or a simple afternoon snack that pairs perfectly with a cup of coffee!
A Sweet Celebration of Strawberry Season
I’m a firm believer that once those first local berries start hitting the farm stands, you’ve got to find every excuse to use them.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I’ll never turn down a bowl of shortcake, but while everyone else is busy fussing with biscuits and whipped cream, I like to whip up this strawberry bread with glaze. It has that dense, cake-like crumb we all love in a good quick bread, but I’ve got a little trick: I fold in a spoonful of strawberry jam right into the batter. It really intensifies that juicy fruit flavor and keeps the loaf so moist it practically melts in your mouth. It’s so perfect for slicing thick and enjoying on the porch while the world is finally starting to green up!
If you’re a fan of these easy fruit-filled bakes, you have to try my Easy Homemade Chocolate Covered Bananas!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs
- Sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt)
- Vanilla extract
- Fresh strawberries
- Strawberry jam
- Powdered sugar
- Lemon juice (optional)
Tips for the Perfect Strawberry Loaf
- Don’t Overmix: When you add your dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stir just until you don’t see any more streaks of flour. Overmixing is the fastest way to get a tough, dry loaf!
- The Flour Toss: If you’re worried about your chopped strawberries sinking to the bottom of the pan, toss them in a tablespoon of flour before folding them into the bread batter.
- Patience is a Virtue: I know it’s tempting to pour that sweet glaze on as soon as the bread comes out of the oven, but you’ve got to let the bread cool completely on a wire rack. If the bread is warm, the glaze will just melt and run right off.
- Excess Moisture: Strawberries are full of water. Finely chopping them and patting them dry with a paper towel ensures you get fruit in every bite without making the bread soggy.
How to Make Strawberry Bread
1. Prep the Oven and Pan
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease your loaf pan well or line it with parchment paper so the bread slides out easily later.
2. Whisk the Dry Ingredients
In a medium bowl, combine your flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Give it a good whisk to make sure everything is evenly distributed.
3. Mix the Wet Ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, stir together your melted butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, then stir in the sour cream and vanilla until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
4. Combine and Fold
Gently fold your flour mixture into the butter mixture. Right before the flour is fully incorporated, fold in your strawberries and the jam.
5. Bake to Perfection
Pour the batter into your prepared pan. Bake for 50–60 minutes. You’re looking for a golden-brown top and a toothpick to come out with just a few moist crumbs.
6. Glaze it Up
Once the bread is cool, whisk together your powdered sugar and mashed berries in a small bowl. A splash of lemon juice or a little lemon zest in the glaze adds a nice brightness that cuts through the sweetness!
Storage and Leftovers
If you have any left, this bread stays delicious in an airtight container at room temperature for about two days, or in the fridge for up to four. It actually freezes beautifully, too! Just wrap the unglazed loaf in plastic wrap and tuck it into a freezer bag. When you’re ready for a treat, let it thaw, then add the fresh glaze before serving.
Ingredients
For the Strawberry Bread:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup finely chopped fresh strawberries patted dry
- 2 tablespoons strawberry jam
For the Simple Strawberry Glaze:
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons mashed fresh strawberries
- Splash of lemon juice optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease or line a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir together the melted butter and sugar until smooth. Add the eggs and mix until fully combined. Stir in the sour cream and vanilla extract until creamy.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently mix until just combined. Fold in the chopped strawberries and strawberry jam, keeping the batter light and not overmixed.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top.
- Bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, with a few moist crumbs remaining.
- Let the bread cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Stir together the powdered sugar, mashed strawberries, and lemon juice until smooth. Spoon over the cooled bread and let it set before slicing.