Description
Strawberries and bananas have always been good friends, and so have lemon and basil! This is the perfect dessert bread to enjoy with your coffee while strawberries are in season.
Ingredients
- FOR THE BREAD:
- 1 Large Egg
- ½ cups Light Brown Sugar, Packed
- ¼ cups Liquid Honey
- ⅓ cups Coconut Oil (can Substitute Canola Oil Or Vegetable Oil)
- ¼ cups Plain Greek Yogurt
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract (can Substitute Maple Syrup)
- 1-¼ cup All-purpose Flour
- ½ teaspoons Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoons Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoons Kosher Salt
- 1 cup Mashed Ripe Bananas
- 1-½ cup Fresh Strawberries, Sliced And Tossed In 3 Tablespoons Of All-purpose Flour
- FOR THE GLAZE:
- ¼ cups Half-and-Half Cream
- 3 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Basil
- 1-½ cup Powdered Sugar, Sifted
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice (I Substituted 8 Drops Of Lemon Essential Oil)
- 1 pinch Kosher Salt
Preparation
For the bread:
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour one 9×5-inch loaf pan; set aside.
In a large bowl, mix egg, brown sugar, honey, coconut oil, yogurt, and vanilla. Whisk to combine.
Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt. Gently fold with spatula or large spoon until combined; be careful not to over-mix.
Add bananas and gently fold into the mixture to combine. Add strawberries (after they’ve been tossed in 3 tablespoons flour) and gently fold to combine.
Gently turn and scoop the batter into the loaf pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula. Bake for about 50–60 minutes (I baked mine for 47 minutes, to be exact) or until top is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (or with a few moist crumbs). Baking times will differ based on the moisture content of the fruit, humidity in kitchen, and the oven.
Let the bread cool in the pan for about 15 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Once the bread has cooled completely, drizzle with your preferred amount of glaze and slice.
For the glaze:
In a small saucepan, mix the half-and-half cream and basil. Bring to a simmer, and let simmer for approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once done, let stand for 10 minute to cool, then strain the mixture through a sieve over a bowl; discard the basil.
Combine infused half-and-half, powdered sugar, lemon juice (or lemon-flavored essential oil), and dash of salt. Whisk until you have a smooth glaze.
Notes:
1. The flour, when coating the strawberries, is to prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the pan.
2. The bread batter should be thick. If you find it to be on the runny side, add up to 1/4 cup of additional flour. Please note that fruits vary in their moisture content, and as a result, the consistency of batters will vary. Strawberries release water into the batter during the baking process, so it’s better to have a thicker batter going into the oven. Use your best judgement.
3. Within the last 10 minutes of baking, loosely drape a piece of tin foil over the loaf to prevent the top and sides from becoming overly browned.
