This post is sponsored by Barlean's. In exchange for writing this post, I received compensation and the products mentioned below. As always, all content and opinions are my own.
Brunch is one of the best meals of the week. Delicious baked goods, eggs, fruit, maybe even a mimosa—you can't go wrong. This month, Barlean's challenged me to create a brunch recipe with their Superfruit Seed Blend and Organic Culinary Coconut Oil, and both products seemed perfect for a brunch-worthy loaf of chocolate strawberry bread.
Barlean's Superfruit Seed Blend is made with ground flaxseed, unsweetened shredded coconut, and strawberry, blueberry, and raspberry powders. It's an easy way to add some extra fiber, Omega-3, and antioxidants to your diet. I like to mix a tablespoon into my morning bowl of oatmeal. You can also add the seed blend to pancake or waffle batters, smoothies, and yogurt. As I did in this chocolate strawberry bread, you can substitute up to 1/4 cup of the flour in a recipe for the seed blend to add a nutritional boost to your baked goods.
Barlean's Organic Culinary Coconut Oil has been lightly refined to remove the smell and taste of coconut, making it a neutral oil for cooking and baking up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. It can be substituted 1-to-1 for butter and is vegan, non-GMO, free of trans fats, and sustainably sourced. In this recipe, I used solid coconut oil to grease the pan (it's a great alternative to shortening or butter) and also used melted coconut oil in the bread batter.
One important thing to remember when baking with melted coconut oil: since coconut oil is solid at room temperature, you need to make sure any refrigerated ingredients have been brought to room temperature. Otherwise, they will solidify the coconut oil when you mix them together. In this recipe, allow the yogurt, milk, and eggs to warm up to room temperature before preparing the batter.
In addition to Barlean's Superfruit Seed Blend and Organic Culinary Coconut Oil, I used white whole-wheat flour to make my bread a bit healthier. The texture is heartier and less cake-like than a traditional quick bread, and the Superfruit Seed Blend gives it a satisfying graininess. You'll also notice that this bread is free of refined sugar and instead uses honey for a slight sweetness. I included freeze-dried strawberries for an extra boost of flavor (using freeze dried strawberries keeps the bread from getting soggy and provides a more concentrated flavor). While the bread is delicious as-is, if you have a sweet tooth it would be tasty spread with strawberry jam.
Want to try this recipe for yourself? I'm giving away a Barlean's product (your choice of the Superfruit Seed Blend or the Organic Culinary Coconut Oil) to a randomly selected reader—enter the Rafflecopter giveaway at the end of this post by midnight on May 6, 2018 (U.S. residents only).
Still hungry? Check out these other tasty brunch recipes featuring Barlean's products:
Yield: one 9x5-inch loaf
Inspired by A Kitchen Addiction
Ingredients:
- 1 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup Barlean's Superfruit Seed Blend
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup plain nonfat yogurt, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/4 cup whole milk, at room temperature
- 3 tablespoons Barlean's Organic Culinary Coconut Oil, melted, plus additional for greasing pan
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup freeze-dried strawberries, plus additional for garnish if desired
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Grease the short ends of a 9x5-inch loaf pan with coconut oil. Line the sides and bottom of pan with a sheet of parchment paper, leaving a few inches of extra parchment paper on each side so that the bread can be easily lifted from the pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, Barlean's Superfruit Seed Blend, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well-combined.
In a large bowl, mix the yogurt, honey, milk, melted coconut oil, vanilla, and eggs until smooth. Stir in the flour mixture just until incorporated. Gently fold in the strawberries until evenly distributed.
Pour the batter into prepared pan. Garnish with additional strawberries if desired.
Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean.
Place loaf in pan on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Holding both sides of the parchment paper, remove loaf from pan, gently loosening the ends with a spatula if needed. Place loaf on wire rack to cool completely. Peel parchment paper from cooled loaf and store tightly sealed at room temperature.
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