Strawberries are a happy fruit. I’m not sure what exactly makes them happy, though. Maybe because they are red. Maybe because they are the June’s fruit, and June is my birthday month. Maybe because they are the only fruit that I would consider eating as a dessert unadorned. Maybe because I just finished reading The Happiness Project and am looking for happiness everywhere. For whatever reason, they are happy.

After spending Saturday in New York with college friends that I haven’t seen in awhile, an activity that makes me very happy, I’m not really surprised that this recipe stuck out as one to try.

It also helps that my birthday is this week, and I wanted something that would be a treat I could keep around without fear of eating the entire batch in a sitting. Strawberry bread seemed like a good excuse as any to have borderline sweets for breakfast.

The bread tastes indulgent, but it is actually relatively healthy. It comes from Claire’s Cornercopia, a vegetarian cookbook that I’m a fan of, and contains no butter, which usually would be a terrifying description of dessert, but in this case works.

Also, quick breads are great because they really are quick – not very time intensive, most of the ingredients are usually on hand, and they are delicious as soon as they are out of the oven.

Anyways, enough of my musings. First, lightly beat the eggs in a medium bowl.

Add the sugar, applesauce, and oil, and beat on medium speed with a hand mixer for a minute. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest.

Add the liquid ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon to just combine.Add the strawberries and walnuts and stir to combine. I sliced m strawberries lengthwise, and I think the bigger pieces ended up being a good thing, giving the final product slightly bigger pockets of strawberry then you would get with other berries, such as blueberries in muffins or buckle. Pour and spread the batter into a 9×5 inch loaf pan sprayed with cooking spray.Bake at 350°F for about an hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store the bread at room temperature, wrapped in plastic wrap. I’m betting it would be particularly good with some honey-spun butter, but it is plenty delicious on its own.

Enjoy!

Strawberry Bread

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• zest from two lemons
• 1 1/2 heaping cups sliced fresh strawberries
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. Lightly beat eggs in a medium bowl.
2. Add sugar, oil, and applesauce and beat for 1 minute on medium speed with a hand mixer. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest.
4. Add liquid ingredients to dry and mix with a wooden spoon until just combined.
5. Stir in strawberries and walnuts.
6. Pour batter into a 9×5 inch loaf pan sprayed with cooking spray.
7. Bake at 350°F for an hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool five minutes in pan before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.