Strawberry Pecan Bread

Directions

1. 1
   Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray baking spray on two 9x5 inch bread pans.
2. 2
   In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt and baking soda.
3. 3
   In another bowl, whisk eggs. Add strawberries, oil, and pecans, and combine. I
4. 4
   Pour liquid mixture into flour blend. (This should be a very coarse mixture and not at all easy to mix. You need to be able to blend until all flour is not visible. If you find it is too dry, add a few splashes of milk or water. Not much! The strawberries have lots of liquid that will bake out. All you are trying to accomplish is to create a mixture that has blended, but is still stiff.)
5. 5
   Divide batter between two prepared pans. Bake in preheated oven for 70-75 minutes.
6. 6
   Notes:
7. 7
   1. The best way to handle these fragile loaves is to leave them inside the pan until completely cool. I know this goes against all normal bread baking rules. And in my house with two children, one of which is an etenally starved male teen, this is quite impossible to accomplish. More often than not I give into the request to dump the bread out of the pan before it is cool and slice. This leads to a somewhat mashed and crumbly cut of bread. If you, like me, cannot wait, I suggest cutting one loaf before it is cool. Let the second loaf cool completely, loosen the edges with a spatula and knife, and then place on a cutting board. Read below for cutting instructions.
8. 8
   2. One of the best parts of this bread is the crunchy top crust. However, that can be hard to cut through without pushing down and mashing the bread. If you flip it over, making the top of the bread rest on the cutting board, you can slice with much ease as the cooling in the pan creates a very moist bread.
9. 9
   3. This is an optional idea, but I like to cook my Strawberry Pecan Bread in my clay bread pans. They are the same size as those listed in the recipe but the clay seems to make a better outer edge on the bread.