Strawberry banana bread is fresh and perfectly moist. Best of all, this recipe is quick and easy, even for baking beginners. Discover how to make this delicious fruit banana bread with our simple recipe.
Homemade banana bread is a classic baking dish, but why not mix things up with a strawberry twist? This strawberry banana bread recipe is perfect as a simple dessert or easy breakfast side dish and is the perfect project for baking newcomers.
When served out of the oven, this strawberry banana bread is warm, moist, and fruity. Each bite packs in juicy strawberries and the delicately sweet taste of the banana loaf.
This homemade strawberry-banana loaf only takes an hour to bake and you don’t need a mixer or any specialist equipment to prepare it. We create a simple egg and flour batter, before adding our fruit and then pouring it into our loaf pan for baking.
From the best ingredients to use to expert tips, here’s how to make the best strawberry banana bread from scratch. Let’s get into it.
Main Ingredients
A quick guide to what you will need for this fruit banana loaf recipe, including how to pick the best ingredients, and quick item alternatives.
Strawberries
As with any recipe, fresh is always best, but you may not have the luxury of picking strawberries while they’re still in season during the summer months. Dried or frozen strawberries will also work well but will have lost some of their original taste. Allow frozen strawberries to thaw in your refrigerator the night before for the best results.
Be careful when preparing your strawberries. If you cut them too fine, they might form a puree when you combine them with the batter.
Butter
For this recipe, you will need half a cup of butter. First, make sure the butter is softened sufficiently. This way, it blends better with the rest of the ingredients. To soften it, you can either leave it out at room temperature or put it in the microwave, amongst other methods.
Granulated sugar
You will need 1 cup of granulated sugar. Sugar is pivotal in most baking recipes, and this is no different. The granulated sugar adds sweetness to the recipe. If you prefer to use brown gar, you may do so, using a ratio of 1 to 1. However, using brown sugar may alter the color of the bread slightly. The advantage of using brown sugar is that it helps make the bread softer and also chewier. Therefore, it works better in bread than it does in cakes.
Eggs
Use two large eggs. The eggs used in this recipe will need to be beaten.
Bananas
You will need three bananas. Ensure they are ripe and soft enough to be mashed so that the banana doesn’t cause any lumps. You will want to mash and puree the banana, so don’t blend it.
Flour
You will need two cups of flour. This may seem like an obvious ingredient, but still, it must be mentioned. This is how you get the structure for the bread.
Baking soda
Use one teaspoon of baking soda. Baking soda comes in handy as a raising agent.
A pinch of Salt
Not much salt is needed, just enough to balance the recipe. A pinch will do the trick or about half a teaspoon.
Time & Temperatures
This simple baking dish only takes a total of one hour and ten minutes to make from scratch. The loaf batter takes 10 minutes to mix, followed by 1 hour of baking at 350°F (180°C).
Use a toothpick to tell when your banana bread is ready. Insert a toothpick in the center of the loaf, about 1-2 inches deep. When you pull the toothpick out, it should meet little resistance and should be clean.
Quick Tips
- Beat the eggs one at a time. This will absorb the yolk and whites into the batter mixture more effectively.
- Use room temperature ingredients. Eggs at room temperature will combine better with the batter and will rise more easily when baked.
- Coarsely chop strawberries into small (but not toon fine) pieces. This will prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the batter as the loaf bakes.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Overmixing can yield more gluten, creating a rubbery loaf. Similarly, overbeaten eggs will develop excess proteins, in turn minimizing moisture and air in the banana bread.
- Avoid burning banana bread before the inside is cooked by tenting it with aluminum foil while it bakes.
How to Make Strawberry Banana Bread
The first step to making your banana strawberry cake/bread is to prepare the oven. Do this by preheating it at 375˚F. Next, prepare your baking tin for the batter, like the one in preheating. Your loaf should be enough for about 12 slices for the quantities we use here and will cook better in a nine-by-five tin.
To make sure the batter doesn’t stick to the tin, spray it with cooking spray or oil every corner and dust with flour, making sure all the excess flour is removed. Then in a separate bowl, combine the sugar and butter and cream the two until the mixture is light in texture. Next, get another bowl, beat up one egg, then beat up the 2nd egg in another bowl. Finally, add the eggs to the mixture, one at a time, making sure they are evenly distributed through the mixture.
In another separate bowl, mash the ripe bananas. A fork should give you the results that you need. Then sift the dry ingredients separately. You can then add the flour and dry ingredients mixture to the mashed banana mixture when this is done.
Take your room temperature strawberries and toss them in a bowl with flour to cover them. Then toss these flour-covered strawberries into the mashed bananas and flour. The strawberries will have to be folded in. When you are satisfied that all the ingredients have been properly mixed in, you can pour the batter into your tin, all prepped and primed for the big bake. Then bake at a temperature of 375˚F for about 15minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 350˚F. At this temperature, you can bake for a further 30 minutes.
Check after about 45minutes of total cooking time. Once done, you can let it cool on a counter before serving it the way you prefer.
Prevent Sinking
One of the most common problems with banana bread is a deflating top. Usually, this happens when the bread doesn’t rise properly. Make sure that your leavening agent (baking powder or baking soda) hasn’t expired.
Your banana bread might also sink if it hasn’t baked through. Double-check the temperature of both your oven and the bread and be sure to position the bread in the center of the oven.
Prevent Burning
Banana bread requires a relatively long baking time to ensure that it is cooked through to the center, but during that bake, the top might brown or even burn.
To stop the outside from burning while the inside finishes baking, some bakers recommend covering the top with aluminum foil for the last 20 minutes of baking.
How to Make Banana Bread Moist
Nobody likes dry banana bread. To keep the bread as moist as possible, make sure that the ratio of ingredients is exact. Too much flour will dry out the banana bread. You should also use very ripe bananas as green bananas are dryer.
Finally, be sure that you are not overmixing the batter as that makes it tough and dry instead of fluffy.
Storage
If you store banana bread properly, then you can have a sweet treat ready for several days’ worth of breakfast or coffee breaks.
You can store banana bread on your countertop in an airtight container or covered in clingfilm. It can last for up to four days on your counter. Do not store banana bread in your refrigerator as the cool air will dry out the bread.
You can freeze banana bread for several months. Any longer than four months and it will develop freezer burn.
Strawberry Banana Bread
Equipment
- sieve
- loaf baking tin
Ingredients
- 1 cups dried strawberries coarsely chopped
- 3 ripe bananas peeled and mashed
- ½ cup butter
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 eggs beaten
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350˚F (175°C). Use butter, parchment paper or non-stick spray to line the inside of the loaf tin.
- In large bowl, cream the butter with the sugar until fluffy. Add the beaten eggs and combine. Add mashed bananas and combine thoroughly.
- Sift the flour into the mixture. Add the baking soda and salt, and mix to form a batter.
- Fold the strawberries in to the batter
- Pour the batter into the tin and place in preheated oven. Bake for 1 hour.
- Use a toothpick to check if the banana bread is ready.
- When ready, remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
