Strawberry Cake Bread

I love fresh fruit, and one it's not uncommon for us to take extra fruit and freeze it to use in the colder months. The other day I pulled out a bunch of strawberries from the freezer with the intention of trying (for a second time) to make Strawberry Cake Bread. I found the Strawberry Cake Bread on a blog I like to read, Eco-Babyz (link takes you directly to the recipe).

I tried this once before with fresh strawberries, but it didn't turn out as moist as desired, likely because I wasn't using frozen strawberries (which Ana at Eco-Babyz does, including all the juice from them). This time I used the frozen berries and the juice. I accidentally added an extra CUP of strawberries this time (kids were distracting me), but it turned out great. So great, in fact, that my hubby and I ate half of it that night, and the rest the following morning. So much for self-control, eh?

Anyway, the recipe (as I made it)!

Strawberry Cake Bread

• 2/3c melted butter
• 3/4c brown sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1t vanilla
• 1t baking soda
• a pinch of salt
• 1T flax seed
• 2c flour
• 2 1/2c frozen (thawed) strawberries cut into halves or quarters

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350F, and oil a loaf pan and an 8x8 pan.
2) Mix everything but the strawberries in the order listed.

3) Fold the strawberries into the batter and divide into the pans.

4) Bake for 1 hour and 10min (though test the 8x8 pan at about 45 minutes, and every 5 minutes after, until a toothpick comes out clean since it won't be as deep as the loaf pan). Serve cool (or slightly warm).

A big thank you to Ana at Eco-babyz for sharing this fabulous recipe. To view her post with the original recipe, click here.

Disclaimer: Thoughts of Fluff was not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own and may differ from your own. Original recipe was from Eco-Babyz, and was slightly modified by Thoughts of Fluff. Post may contain affiliate links.

Homemade Bread Bowls

The weather has been unseasonably cool lately, and I've been loving it! (Autumn is my favourite season, though!) I decided to make a soup and bread bowls for dinner the other night. I have never made any sort of yeast bread/rolls in my life, so this was a completely new experience for me. I had a lot of questions, because I had no idea what I was doing, but my friend (remotely) walked me through the process. It was not as hard as I thought it would be!

I temped the water before adding the yeast/sugar, and then took pictures to document (almost) every step of the way!

My dough didn't rise again after I deflated it and broke it into balls, but that's okay because it turned out great anyway. I think it didn't rise again because I kept breaking it apart and resizing everything (thus, technically kneading the bread again which could have over-done it). I also didn't have any flour sack towels (despite hearing how awesome they are for using as cloth diapers!), so I used the smooth side of my unpaper towel to cover my bread for it to rise.

These turned out great, too! Everyone loved it, though hubby (who has been cutting back on refined sugar and grains like this) only ate half of his bowl. The recipe was from allrecipes.com :

French Bread Rolls to Die For
Original recipe yields 16 rolls

Ingredients :

1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
2 tablespoons white sugar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups bread flour

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, stir together warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. To the yeast mixture, add the oil, salt, and 2 cups flour. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
3. Deflate the dough, and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces, and form into round balls. Place on lightly greased baking sheets at least 2 inches apart. Cover the rolls with a damp cloth, and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
4. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

The only thing(s) I did differently were I used sunflower oil instead of vegetable oil, and I only baked the bread bowls for 8 minutes. It didn't need 18-20 minutes.

Below is the walk-through of my first time making bread. It was not as difficult as I feared it would be.

The Yeast/sugar/water mixture is ready!

Stirring in the flour mixture to the yeast/water

As you mix, it gets so thick you have to use your hands

My dough ball! Time to knead!

It rose!!!

Covered with a damp (unpaper) towel. Use a smooth material, not the terry side! (oil top of dough well so it doesn't stick to the towel!)

Cut into size desired (and let rise again)

Deflate!

Baked until done! (They aren't golden as I didn't coat with butter or an egg wash before baking)

Bottom is lightly browned

Cut the top off the bread at an angle, using fingers to hollow out the rest

 

Toddler-sized bread bowl with fresh, hot soup!

Disclaimer: Thoughts of Fluff was not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own. Post contains affiliate links.