Strawberry Butter Bread

Strawberry Butter Bread For the Bread: 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup oil 1 large egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or almond extract 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder** (see notes) 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 cups diced strawberries 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour For the Glaze: 2 cups powdered sugar 2 tablespoons melted butter 1/3 cup finely diced strawberries 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or almond extract 1-2 tablespoons heavy cream or milk** (optional) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar, milk, oil, egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. In a small bowl, toss together the strawberries and the 2 tablespoons of flour to coat the strawberries. Fold the floured strawberries gently into the batter. Pour the bread batter into a greased 9" x 5" bread pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center of the bread should come out clean. Allow the bread to cool for 10 minutes, then remove the bread to a wire rack to cool completely. To make the glaze, combine the powdered sugar, melted butter, diced strawberries and extract in a small bowl. Mix until it is smooth. Once the bread is cool, spread the glaze on top of the bread. Slice and serve. Notes *I often add an extra teaspoon of vanilla or almond extract to the bread batter (along with the wet ingredients) for an extra boost of flavor. I do this especially if I'm not putting the glaze on top. The bread has the most flavor when you add the strawberry glaze! *We have added up to 2 1/2 cups of diced strawberries to the batter. The bread stays together the best when you use about 2 cups. **We like the strawberry bread as written, but if you'd like a higher rise on the bread, reduce the baking powder to 1 teaspoon and add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda. This will change the texture slightly, but some like it a little better. **We didn't need any milk or cream to make the glaze spreadable, but it may depend on the juiciness of your strawberries. The glaze will be very thick and look like it is not mixing up, but if you keep mixing, it should create a nice creamy pink glaze as shown below. If it doesn't, add milk or heavy cream 1 tablespoon at a time. The glaze will soften as it sits too since the sugar pulls out juices from the strawberries. Keep this in mind when adding milk and don't add too much!