Lightly grease 9 x 5 pan, cut parchment paper to fit length of pan, but extend above sides. This will make removing the bread easy.
Dice strawberries with knife; put in strainer over bowl to catch juices. After draining, mix the strawberries with 2 Tablespoons flour. (Use juice to flavor milk or iced tea, or add to a liter of water for spa water.)
In large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In medium bowl, beat eggs until light, add sugar and beat until light. Add oil, buttermilk, and vanilla and beat until blended.
Slowly pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until completely blended, but do not over mix.
Gently blend strawberries into batter.
Pour batter into prepared pan. (You can sprinkle Turbinado sugar on top for sparkle. I did not want the extra sweetness.)
Bake for 30 minutes. Cover top with tented foil and bake another 25-35 minutes. It is done when a toothpick inserted in top comes out clean. Better to overbake slightly than to underbake. If the strawberries are very ripe, this bread will not dry out easily.
Let cool in pan 15 minutes. Turn out on rack to cool completely before slicing, or wrapping tightly for storage. Serve plain, with plain butter or cream cheese, or with strawberry butter (See recipe.)
Strawberry Butter
Bring butter to room temperature.
Chop strawberries very fine and drain.
Mix strawberries, butter, and honey. spread while soft. Keep any leftovers in refrigerator, and soften and mix before spreading after chilling.6
Notes
Notice that the recipe uses Baking SODA, not Baking POWDER. Baking Soda always pairs with buttermilk.I use powdered (instant) buttermilk. If you want the convenience of powdered buttermilk, follow the directions on the box/can for amounts and mix the powder with the dry ingredients and the water with the liquid ingredients.You may want to vary the amount of sugar depending on how sweet your strawberries are.Do cut the strawberries with a knife and not in a food processor, which will make them too mushy.