Strawberry Bread

The other day on my way to work, I was munching on a scone I bought for a quick, on-the-go breakfast. My first bite took me back to my childhood and a bread my mother used to make all the time. So when I got a chance, I sent her a text and asked if she still had the recipe. She said she did, and told me she had actually been thinking about the very same bread the day before. So, we made a plan to get together today and spend some quality time together making the bread.

The original recipe uses strawberries, but as a kid, my mom made it with cherries, and today, we modified the recipe to use dried cranberries. We want to try a strawberry-rhubarb, but we haven't made it that far yet (I'll keep you updated).

Enjoy!

Here's the original recipe (variations below):

(makes 2 loaves)
1 c butter, softened
1 1/2 c sugar
1 t vanilla
1 t Kosher salt
1 t lemon juice
4 eggs
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 c sour cream
1 c strawberry preserves3 c flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and grease two 8"x4" loaf pans.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugar, vanilla, salt, and lemon juice. Beat in eggs, one at a time.

Add baking soda, sour cream, and preserves; blend well. Gradually mix in the flour until well-combined.

Pour the batter into the greased pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until bread pulls away from pans.

Variations
Cherry Bread: Substitute fresh, pitted sweet or sour cherries (depending on your preference) for the strawberry preserves.

Cranberry-Orange Bread: In a small saucepan, cover 1 c dried cranberries with water. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Allow the mixture to cool, drain, and use in place of the strawberry jam. Replace the lemon juice with 1 t orange extract.