“And don’t forget the sugar!” Peggy laughed.
I had made her recipe, and, amid all the interruptions here, I had omitted the sugar. The next day at lunch, our grandson Jay said it was good without the sugar and I agreed with him. Both of us would be the better if we dropped a few pounds.
Do you need a little something for a snack? Or perhaps to add to a light luncheon? Or even for a breakfast?
Then Peggy Lollis of Crescent Hill Baptist Church in Columbia has just the recipe for you, and we thank her for sharing it with us. The recipe, easily put together and very good, is for Strawberry Bread.
Crescent Hill has a new pastor, Rev. Lee Butler, who came last August. The church has around 125 members, and offers both Sunday morning and evening and Wednesday night worship services. It has an active WMU and conducts VBS in the summer. Located on Two Notch Road, Crescent is part of Columbia Metro Association.
Peggy, who has been a member since the 1980s, has worn (and does wear) a lot of hats for church responsibilities. She is on the Benevolence Committee, the church’s social committee, and chairs the Lord’s Supper committee. She has also served as treasurer of her Sunday school class for 29 years.
Peggy Lollis
Peggy, whose late husband Carl died several years ago, is retired from the dental lab at Fort Jackson after working there for 31 years. Following that, she worked at the Hallmark shop for three years. Peggy and Carl had three children. Their son, Michael, and his son, Marshall, live in Columbia. Their daughter, Susan, and her son, Daniel, also live in Columbia – as do her daughter, Brittany, and grandchildren, Savannah and Carey. Peggy and Carl’s third child, Carol, died several years ago.
The recipe is from Peggy’s daughter, Susan. She got it from a neighbor when she lived in Nashville, Tenn.
When making the Strawberry Bread, Peggy sometimes allows it to cool, but prefers it warm and served with butter. I tried it with the butter and with softened cream cheese, and both were good. It is a good keeper, lasting three days or more at room temperature, and Peggy says she also wraps the loaves in aluminum foil and freezes them. They keep well.
Most store-bought frozen strawberries come in slices or halves. When assembling the ingredients, cut the strawberries into smaller pieces. In determining how much of the juice to use, make the batter about the consistency of that for a pound cake or layer cake.
Some day soon, make Peggy’s Strawberry Bread and enjoy it warm or cold for your next – Sunday Dinner.
Strawberry Bread
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups cooking oil
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 eggs, well beaten
2 10-ounce packs of frozen strawberries
Using kitchen shears, cut the thawed strawberries into small pieces. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 2 loaf pans; line each with aluminum foil.
Mix flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl. Make a well in center of mixture,
Pour eggs and oil into the well. Pour strawberries into a bowl. With a slotted spoon, dip out strawberries and add to the oil/egg/flour mixture, stirring gently.
Add strawberry juice gradually and stir. Do not make the batter thin.
Divide batter between the two pans. Bake for 1 hour.
Dear Readers:
People tell me they enjoy the Sunday Dinner column. Please send your recipes and/or church-published cookbooks to Sunday Dinner, The Baptist Courier, 100 Manly Street, Greenville, SC 29601. – Juanita Garrison