With growing season in full swing, and fruit harvests sometimes overwhelming (anyone else get canker sores from too many strawberries?), gardeners are always looking for ways to put their booty to use. The following recipe is a versatile one. It’s a simple sweet bread that utilizes the fruit of the season and uses agave nectar instead of sugar. I came up with this by tweaking a couple other recipes in an attempt to avoid the “take this healthy thing and add a stick of butter and a cup and a half of granulated sugar…” trap. At this point in the summer, in my neck of the woods it makes sense to use strawberries and blueberries. The fruit can change, and as long as the measurement stays the same (2 cups) you will have a consistent, go to method of creating a sweet summer treat without processed sugar.
Harvest Sweet Bread Recipe
Materials
1 large mixing bowl
1 medium mixing bowl
1 standard 9×5 loaf pan
Ingredients
2 cups of white, unbleached flour
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick of melted butter plus extra to grease the pan
1/3 cup of milk
1 cup agave nectar
2 large eggs
1 cup diced strawberries*
1 cup blueberries*
*Any fruit will do, as long as there are 2 cups of it.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease the pan with butter. Combine all the dry ingredients (not including fruit) in the small bowl and the wet ingredients and the large one. Beat the wet mixture well, making sure everything is fully combined. An electric mixer is good to use on low if you’re into that sort of thing.Slowly stir the wet mixture and add the dry mixture a little at a time (about a third at a time). Mix the fruit in once the basic ingredients are fully combined.
After the mixing is complete (no dry spots, even fruit distribution, no lumps), pour everything into the greased pan and put it in the oven.
Bake for approximately 60 minutes. The bread is done when a toothpick or knife can be inserted into the center and comes out dry.** Remove the loaf from the oven and allow it to cool for ten minutes in the pan. Remove from pan, slice, serve, enjoy.
** An 8×8 baking dish can also work here. Adjust baking time to approximately 45 minutes.
