Strawberry-Nut Bread

Wine Varietal: Sweet Dessert Wine

Makes 2 loaves

A light-brown nut bread bursting with cinnamon, this recipe is great to make when local strawberries are available in the late spring and summer, as well as around the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays using frozen, sliced berries. It originated from Dianna Biringer, co-owner of Biringer Farm. The Biringer family first had a farm table, then a retail outlet, in the Pike Place Market. Nowadays, they hoss an annual Strawberry Festival and other festive events throughout the year, at the farm on the Red Rooster Route in Arlington, Washington.

3 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

2 cups granulated sugar

4 large eggs

1 1/4 cups light vegetable oil, such as canola, corn, or soy

2 cups fresh strawberries, prepared as described in the Cook’s Hint, below, or 2 cups frozen, unsweetened, sliced strawberries, thawed

1 1/4 cups chopped hazelnuts or pecans

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Lightly grease two 5-by 9-inch loaf pans or spray with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, and sugar, then whisk until the cinnamon is dispersed throughout the flour. In a separate large bowl, whisk the eggs, then mix in the oil, strawberries, and hazelnuts with a fork.

3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients, stirring just enough to moisten the dry ingredients. Divide the batter between the prepared loaf pans and bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

4. Cool 10 minutes on a wire rack. Turn out the loaves, slice into 8 slices per loaf, and serve as desired (see Serving Suggestions, below).

Cook’s Hint: If using fresh berries, make sure they are very ripe and juicy. Halve or quarter the berries, then gently mash them with a fork to start the juices flowing. Let the berries sit at room temperature for 1 hour before adding to the wet ingredients. You can also substitute frozen, sweetened berries, but reduce the 2 cups of sugar to 1 1/2 cups.

Serving Suggestions: Once baked, slices of Strawberry-Nut Bread make a scandalously rich base for strawberry shortcake or strawberry sundaes. To serve, just put a slice in the bottom of a deep dish and add a scoop of strawberry ice cream or frozen yogurt, additional sliced strawberries or strawberry syrup, whipped cream or whipped topping, and top with a whole strawberry.

Photo Courtesy of Biringer Farms