Name: Sourdough Strawberry Bread
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 65 min
Total time: 80 min
Ingredients: 165 g Granulated Sugar; 50 g Light Brown Sugar; 2 TBS Lemon Zest (from 1 lemon); 1 Egg (room temperature); 2 tsp Vanilla Extract; 120 g Buttermilk; 120 g Sourdough Discard (or active starter, ½ cup); 100 g Neutral Oil (like vegetable, canola, or coconut oil); 250 g All-purpose flour (plus 1 TBS for coating strawberries); 1 ½ tsp Baking Powder; ¼ tsp Baking Soda; ½ tsp Kosher Salt; 250 g Fresh Strawberries (roughly chopped, 2 cups); 100 g Powdered Sugar; 2 TBS Whole Milk; 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

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Made with fresh strawberries, this Sourdough Strawberry Bread is an easy quick bread recipe for summer strawberry season!

The moist bread is studded with ruby-red strawberries, brightened with lemon zest, drizzled with a simple vanilla glaze, and made with sourdough discard and buttermilk for a slight tang.

bThe easy-to-slice strawberry sourdough bread is a perfect quick bread with a tender texture to serve for Mother’s Day, summer holidays, or for breakfast or dessert.

Follow the detailed tips and instructions below to make the best sourdough strawberry bread, accompanied by photos of every step.

👉 Other favorite sourdough quick bread recipes are:

Sliced sourdough strawberry bread on a cutting board surrounded by strawberries.

👍 Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Similar batter to my Cranberry Orange Sourdough Bread and another easy way to use sourdough discard.
Tender and moist crumb that’s buttery and sweet.
Bakes in a standard loaf pan.
Serves 8-10 people and lasts for days.
Tastes light and refreshing with an abundance of strawberries like my Sourdough Strawberry Muffins with Crumb Topping or Sourdough Strawberries & Cream Scones.
Vanilla glaze is easy to make or you can top with a simple strawberry glaze too!

Slices of Sourdough Strawberry Bread on a plate surrounded by strawberries and a knife.

🔍 Tips for Making Sourdough Strawberry Bread

Use room-temperature ingredients to incorporate and mix more evenly.
Rub lemon zest into the sugars to add brigthness to the loaf.
Roughly chop the strawberries and coat in flour so they distribute well throughout the loaf and don’t sink to the bottom.
Let the bread loaf cool completely on a cooling rack before glazing so it doesn’t melt.
Use a wooden skewer, a long toothpick, or a cake tester to check when the loaf is done. There should only be a few moist crumbs on it.
If the bread is browning too quickly, tent it with aluminum foil.

Slicing Sourdough Strawberry Bread on a cutting board.

🛠 Tools Needed

Baking scale
- Flour and sourdough starter can weigh differently from person to person, so weighing your ingredients will help you replicate a recipe and be more accurate.
Whisk
- You can also use an electric hand mixer.
Spatula, for folding in the strawberries and scraping into the loaf pan.
8.5×4.5″ Bread Loaf Pan
- Grease and line the bread pan with parchment paper to prevent sticking and easy removal.
- My favorite USA Pan, linked above, is made of aluminized steel and bakes evenly.
- You can also use a 9×5″ bread loaf pan, but the loaf will be squatter and may bake slightly faster.

🛒 Ingredients Needed

Please see below for my ingredient recommendations, the baking science behind their use, and potential substitutions.

All-purpose flour
- You can substitute some or all of the all-purpose flour with gluten-free flour or whole wheat flour.
Salt, to bring out the flavors and balance the sweetness.
Baking Powder helps the quick bread rise and keeps a soft, tender crumb.
Baking Soda helps the bread rise and contributes to some browning.
Strawberries
- Use fresh strawberries as frozen strawberries may release too much moisture.
- If you love strawberries, you’ll love my Sourdough Strawberry Galette and Sourdough Strawberry Shortcakes.
Lemon Zest
- Rub the fresh lemon zest into the sugars to release their essential oils.
- Substitute with lime zest, orange zest, or leave out if you need to.
Granulated Sugar
- Assists with browning, sweetness, and aerating the batter.
Light Brown Sugar
- Hint of molasses for more flavor and moisture.
Neutral Oil
- I usually use butter for flavor; however, I found that a neutral oil like melted coconut oil, vegetable oil, or avocado oil works best in this recipe.
- Substitute the oil with melted butter if that’s what you have around.
Sourdough Discard
- Discard is an incredibly versatile ingredient that tenderizes baked goods.
- If you don’t have an active sourdough starter, learn how to make one in a week following my how-to guide. See my top sourdough starter tips and other sourdough discard recipes.
Egg: For structure, richness, and moisture.
Buttermilk
- Use buttermilk for the most tangy flavor and richness.
- Substitute with sour cream or yogurt.
Vanilla Extract, for warmth and aromatics.
Powdered Sugar, for the glaze
- For even more fresh strawberry flavor, use strawberry jam, freeze-dried strawberries, or mashed strawberries to make a strawberry glaze with real strawberry flavor.

🍓 How to Make Sourdough Strawberry Bread

1. Rub Lemon Zest into Sugars

Preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Grease and line a bread loaf pan with parchment paper with a few inches of overhang.

Add the sugars and lemon zest to a large bowl. Use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugars to release oils and become fragrant.

Pro Baking Tip: Rubbing citrus zest into sugar releases essential oils and infuses the sugar with aromatics. It also ensures that the zest is evenly distributed in the batter.

It’s an easy step that I do in recipes like Sourdough Cranberry Yogurt Muffins, Sourdough Rhubarb Scones, and even Sourdough Bran Muffins.

Hand rubbing lemon zest into bowl of sugar.

2. Mix the Wet Ingredients

Whisk in the egg, buttermilk, vanilla extract, sourdough discard and oil.

Mixed wet ingredients for Sourdough Strawberry Bread in a bowl with a whisk.

3. Combine the Dry Ingredients

In a separate mixing bowl, stir the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together.

Bowl with whisk of dry ingredients for Sourdough Strawberry Bread.

4. Mix the Batter

Add the dry ingredients to the stand mixer bowl and mix just until a few floury spots remain. The batter will be quite thick.

Roughly chop the strawberries and toss them in flour in a separate bowl.

Finally, gently fold them into the batter with a spatula.

Chopped fresh strawberries coated in flour.

Mixing strawberries into Sourdough Strawberry Bread batter with a spatula.

5. Bake

Pour the sourdough strawberry bread batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth to the corners of the pan so it bakes evenly. Dot the top with a few more fresh strawberries if you like.

Bake for 65-75 minutes or until the top browns, shrinks a bit from the sides of the pan, and a wooden skewer, cake tester, or long toothpick inserted into the middle only is mostly dry with a few moist crumbs on it.

Check the loaf after 45 minutes. If it’s browning too quickly, tent with aluminum foil.

Cool for 15 minutes in the pan and use the wings of parchment paper to lift the loaf out onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely before glazing and serving.

Unbaked Sourdough Strawberry Bread in a loaf pan.

Baked Sourdough Strawberry Bread in a loaf pan.

6. Make Vanilla Glaze

Before making and glazing the bread, it’s vital that it’s completely cooled so the glaze doesn’t melt.

Mix powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract in a bowl until you have a thick, but pourable glaze. Finally, pour or spoon on top of the bread, letting it slowly drizzle down the sides.

Adjust the thickness by adding more powdered sugar if it needs to be thicker, or milk if it needs to be thinner.

For a drip glaze like this that hardens slightly after it dries, it’s better to keep the glaze thicker than you may initially think.

Drizzling vanilla glaze on Sourdough Strawberry Bread with a spoon.

How to Store

The Sourdough Strawberry Bread is incredibly moist and can last for 4-5 days covered at room temperature.

Wrap in aluminum foil or plastic wrap, then store in an airtight container. You can even store it longer in the refrigerator for up to a week. Once glazed, store in the refrigerator to prevent spoilage, as it contains buttermilk.

The bread freezes well, but it’s best to leave the glaze off until you’re ready to serve it to avoid sogginess.

Freeze the entire loaf or slices and wrap in plastic wrap for 3 months. To thaw, unwrap and let it thaw at room temperature for a few hours and refresh in the oven if needed.

Sourdough Strawberry Bread with vanilla glaze on a cutting board.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Can I double the recipe?

Yes. Double all of the ingredients, bake in two bread loaf pans, and make two sourdough breads. You could even make mini pound cakes if you have small pans.

Can I use frozen strawberries?

I recommend only using fresh strawberries in this recipe so the bread doesn’t become soggy.

Can I make the batter overnight?

Yes, you can make the batter ahead and store it in the refrigerator for up to a day.

Can I use other berries?

Feel free to substitute the strawberries with other fresh berries such as blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries, or mixed berries.

How do I get a perfect crack in the middle of my quick bread?

Pipe a thin line of softened butter (only a TBS) down the middle of the quick bread! This hack creates steam around the butter that will result in a prominent and straight crack like a bakery-style or Starbucks lemon loaf cake.

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