Jake and I were just watching that TV show about people who are "extreme couponers" who will literally go to the grocery store and spend $5 on $500 worth of food. I'm sure that buying being paid 10 cents each to take 37 bottles of anti-gas drops is a form of mental illness, but on another level I completely understand the thrill of the deal. I say this because the bread in this recipe is made with strawberries and bananas that were both on sale. So I bought them. Just because they were discounted. I figured I would eventually figure out what to do with the ingredients... and I did! Whether or not the people on the show ended up using the gas drops remains a mystery.
This bread is great to have if you need energy to grab faces or give kisses. Or if you just happen to want to have a fresh, springy, fruity, carby treat. You can also make this as muffins (that's what the original recipe does) if you want to have more of an on-the-go treat. I haven't tried it that way, but I can imagine the muffins would be just as tasty.
Strawberry Banana Bread Printer-friendly version
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted 3/4 cup light brown sugar 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2 large ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup) 1 cup fresh strawberries (cut into bite sized pieces) 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Position rack in center of oven. Grease with butter or spray with vegetable spray a loaf pan.
In a small saucepan (or a microwave) melt the butter. Set aside and allow it to cool for a minute.
In a medium sized bowl whisk together the brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and mashed banana. Add the melted butter to the brown sugar mixture and stir to combine.
In another large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Gently fold in the berries, making sure they are coated with flour. This helps to prevent the berries from sinking during baking. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir only until the ingredients are just combined. Do not over mix the batter or the bread will end up dense and tough.
Spread the batter evenly into the loaf pan. Place in the oven and bake until a tester inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 55-60 minutes. Let it cool in the pan.
Source: Joy of Baking (adapted slightly to make bread instead of muffins)
