08 Jan Think Blueberry
For a change of pace during the winter season, I was thinking about blueberries and the promise of spring and summer approaching in the coming months. I craved the soft texture and burst of juice that comes forth when eating them. I decided to look for a recipe in which I could cook or bake them and discovered a wonderful cooking website, Ahead of Thyme, helmed by Sam Hu who “helps busy people eat real food that tastes good.” Scanning through the collection I found a perfect, easy recipe for a blueberry bread with a touch of lemon that is fantastic.
The bread is packed with blueberries and the addition of lemon gives it a little unexpected zing of flavor that feels like spring/summer. A nice treat during the long days of winter!
Lemon Blueberry Bread (Makes one 9×5 inch loaf)
Ingredients
- 1 plus ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 lemon, juiced and zested
- 1 + ½ cups fresh blueberries, divided
Lemon Glaze (Optional)
- ½ cup icing sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan with butter or cooking spray oil.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients including flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Whisk together until evenly distributed and set aside.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together using a rubber spatula until just combined and no dry ingredients are visible. Do not overmix (overmixing will make the bread denser and firmer). Fold in 1 cup of blueberries until evenly mixed.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and add the remaining ½ cup blueberries on top.
- Bake for 55 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool for 10-15 minutes, then invert to remove the loaf.
- In a small bowl, add the icing sugar. Slowly add in the lemon juice and continually stir until smooth and desired consistency is achieved. The icing should be thick but still easy to pour. If the icing is too runny, add more sugar. If it is too thick, add some more lemon juice.
- Evenly drizzle glaze over the loaf and allow it to set and dry before slicing. To completely coat the loaf, double the amount of icing.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Special Note: Feature Image for this blog post courtesy of Beth Thomas at Pixabay.