Mmmm Mmmm Monday: Strawberry Bread

Inspired by our trip to the Strawberry Festival and all of our yummy, fresh strawberries, I searched high and low for a quick & easy recipe to utilize some of our juicy red berries. There were so many to choose from, but being the instant-gratification loving momma that I am, I picked this bread so that it could bake while we were eating dinner. That, and I already had all the ingredients on hand.

Well, almost all.

Halfway through my preparations, I realized that I only had one egg, and none of our neighbors were home to borrow from, so Hubby ran to the store to grab some for me. Thanks Hubby- you're the best!

Anyway, on to the recipe! Hope you enjoy this bread as much as we did!

Yep...that loaf is history now.

Strawberry Bread
2 cups fresh strawberries, washed and hulled
1 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter (or shortening)
2 eggs
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup chopped walnuts *we excluded these because I'm not a big nut person*

Crush strawberries. Pour into a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, cook for one minute, stirring constantly, then remove from heat and let cool.

Preheat oven to 350*. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder. In a large mixing bowl, beat the sugar and butter together and then add the eggs and water, mixing until light and fluffy. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, mixing well to blend. Stir in the crushed strawberries and walnuts. Spoon the mixture into a greased loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove loaf and set on a wire rack to cool completely.

Cut into slices and serve topped with softened cream cheese and strawberry slices.