Expert: Elyse Grau - 12/20/2009

Question
QUESTION: I have a recipe for strawberry bread, makes 5 mini loaves at a time.  I have a new range/oven.  When I made my first batch, the loaves turned out beautifully.  I didn't have the right kind of frozen strawberries, so used a mixture of frozen berries and frozen raspberries.  The second, and third batches I used the 16 oz frozen sliced strawberries from the store.  These batches the sides of the bread cooked faster and rose faster than the first batch.  They ended up with a nice middle, with crack, but the sides were still too high.  I tried less batter in the pans but still the same thing.  Any ideas?  Recipe calls for 3 cups flour, 2 cups sugar, 1/2 tsp soda, 1 tsp salt, 1 Tbl cinnamon, 1 1/4 c oil, 4 beaten eggs, and the strawberries.  Thanks!

ANSWER: Patty-
I don't quite understand the problem. Were the loaves sunken in the middle? Was the bottom or the sides too brown? Were the loaves done in the center? I don't know what you mean by the "sides" being too high, sorry.

Elyse

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I'm sorry I didn't make myself clear.  It is hard to describe.  The sides of the bread rise up past the top of the pan and begin to curl in.  They also become much browner, nearly burned before the middle is finished cooking.  The middle rises also, but not at the same rate as the sides.  While it is in the process of cooking, the sides raise, and the middle looks like it is sunken, but eventually it will raise also.  I hope this helps.  The first batch the sides of the bread were not excessively above the pans as the subsequent batches have been.  Thanks again for your help!

Answer
OK, the best guess I can come up with is not enough leavening. The sides are rising faster because they heat up faster, and the CO2 created by the soda may be getting used up. Try increasing the soda to 3/4 tsp or adding 1-2 teaspoons of baking powder. There might have been a difference in the acidity of the strawberries/raspberries between the first batch and subsequent batches that would have reacted with the soda.

Elyse

PS. I'd go with 1 tsp baking powder for the first test. You might even want to do 1/2 recipe to test it out