You don’t have to ransack an open field, dripping strawberry blood with your fellow quarantine-fatigued warriors in order to rush home to a strawberry bake-off with yourself but it sure does help.
Too easy to finish a whole loaf on your own but try to share
I came home possessed. I needed to make something out of the boxes of strawberries that took up all of our kitchen space. As the pressure intensified every day over the last few months, I needed therapy.
Aside from the gorgeous red fruit everywhere, it wasn’t a pretty look. My baking frenzy was ugly and oh so messy, just like my PMS tears when I made one batch with hemp seeds and had to watch cringing faces tell me “it tastes really healthy”. Seriously?! In my book, if healthy isn’t delicious, it ain’t healthy.
But batch after batch I was slowly led to my new recipe that’s been a hit among my harsh critical tasters , even the ones who wouldn’t voluntarily eat anything sweetened only by pure fruit (just like my naturally sweetened banana muffins).
I also learned one way to make my kitchen and adjacent area smell like a sweet, comforting, scrumptious, embrace-and-never-let-go childhood memory. Or the yummiest bed-and-breakfast aroma as you walk downstairs after an 8-hour night’s sleep. (I would pick the B&B as this type of hospitality currently sounds like a thing of the past.) It’s crazy out there, so if you want to feel like our current world is filled with love and hope, even for a fleeting moment of escape, do yourself a favor and cook fresh strawberries in coconut oil. You don’t even need to eat it to reap the mental health benefits (but you should!) Let them sizzle in the pan for a minute, close your eyes and inhale deeply. Slow, deep breaths, in and out.
You can stop now or you can take the next step and bake this sweet, nutty, satisfying, healthy, versatile bread, which (in case you have any food sensitivity/intolerance/allergy) only happens to be gluten-free, dairy-free and grain-free.
A Lot More than Just a Berry Good Bread
A hefty slice can function as a highly nutritious breakfast smeared with any nut butter and a side of Greek yogurt but it can also serve as your yummy, hearty, nutritious dessert topped with chocolate and/or paired with ice cream of your choice. Or you pack a slice (or two, or three) as an on-the-go energizing, wholesome snack.
I use Cuisinart Smart Stick because it’s compact and can be put away rather than take up counter space, not to mention that though small, it conveniently fits all blended ingredients in this recipe. Oh and it comes with other parts too, so you can also whisk, grind and chop but my favorite part is the hand blender, which serves me exclusively in making my pureed soups.
A note about consistency: You don’t have to use xanthan gum if you don’t have (or don’t want to have) it handy. I tried with and without and although xanthan gum acts as an excellent binder, the bread is delicious either way. If you choose to not add xanthan gum, just make sure you use a very sharp knife when the loaf is completely cool and avoid cutting thin slices so your bread doesn’t fall apart on the way to being serve.
Oh and since you only need a 1/8 a teaspoon for a loaf, do yourself a favor and don’t buy the overpriced bags, unless you bake for the masses. Now brand makes the least expensive and most conveniently packed xanthan gum I found. It’s small and expires in about three years which means I will have to bake way more than I plan to in order to use it all while it’s still fresh.
Wow, I do talk a lot.
Strawberry Nuttiness Bread
Prep time: 15-20 mins
Cook time: 25 mins
Total time: 40-45 mins
Yield: One Loaf
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil (I like organic, virgin/extra-virgin, unrefined, cold-pressed like this one but any coconut oil will do.
- 1 ¼ cup fresh strawberries (cut them in half)
- 3 medjool dates (cut to quarters)
- ¼ cup unsalted cashews
- 2 tablespoons walnuts
- ½ cup coconut flour
- ½ cup almond flour
- 1.5 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- (Optional) 1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum for better consistency
- 2 eggs (or 1/2 a cup of unsweetened applesauce for a vegan version)
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 375°F (176°C) and lightly grease a loaf pan with coconut oil. I use unbleached parchment paper for easier cleaning and removal.
- In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook strawberries and dates in coconut oil until sizzling and soft. Remove from heat.
- Mash berries and dates thoroughly in the skillet with a potato masher.
- Grind cashews and walnuts in your blender.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until they all lose their individual qualities and come together…
- Pour batter and berry “jam” into your loaf pan and mix them together until they become one.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a fork/toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and let cool completely before slicing. Bread can be kept fresh in room temperature for up to 2-3 days, as long as you keep it in an airtight container. You may also choose to refrigerate (up to a week) or freeze (up to several months). Serve as a snack or as part of your breakfast or dessert. Our family prefers it warm but cold on-on-the-go works well too.
Bon appetit!
