How To Make Delicious Blueberry Lemon Bread

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Over The Top Amazing With Lemon Zest and Sanding Sugar

The classic combination is what makes this amazing blueberry lemon bread so spectacular. Blueberries and lemon go together like Woody and Buzz, Luci and Desi, or Thelma and Louise.

It's a proven flavor combination of tart lemon and plump, sweet blueberries baked together in a tender loaf that tastes more like cake than bread. Adding a lemon glaze and lemony sanding sugar on top makes this a purple ribbon contender at the State Fair!

Why You'll Love Blueberry Lemon Bread

You can make this yummy bread quickly and easily any time of year! Thanks to our amazing grocery distribution system, beautiful blueberries and fresh lemons are always available. The bread is quite simple, with just sugar, butter, flour, eggs, and milk as the main ingredients.

The magic happens when you add the lively flavor of fresh lemon juice and zest, and you don't need any fancy equipment to get it! The "zest" of citrus fruit is the outmost layer of the peel, the most colorful part. Be sure to wash the lemon well and dry it before you begin.

You don't need a special tool to zest a lemon; your trusty vegetable peeler will work nicely! Peel off only the thin outer layer, and try to avoid the white "pith" beneath the skin as much as possible.

It's easiest to zest the lemon before you cut it in half to squeeze out the juice. Remove all the lemon seeds from the juice before using it in the bread recipe.

When I was growing up, we didn't have a juicer. I remember my mom squeezing the juice by hand with a strong grip. When every drop of juice was squeezed out, the lemon was little more than a limp outer skin!

Now, take that lovely zest and use a chef's knife to cut it into confetti-like pieces. When I have more lemons to zest, for instance, when I make my favorite Orange Marmalade, I love my Cuisinart mini food processor, a gift from my youngest daughter!

How To Make Blueberry Lemon Bread

Before you begin, wash the blueberries and pat them dry, then toss one cup of them with a tablespoon of flour in a separate small bowl.

This step keeps the berries suspended in the batter so they don't all sink to the bottom. Keep back one-fourth cup of the berries to toss on top of the bread before you put it in the oven to bake.

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add the eggs and milk. I used light cream because I had some on hand. Stir in one tablespoon of the lemon juice.

Stir in the baking powder and salt into the batter first to ensure they are well combined, then add in the flour, stirring just enough to incorporate all the flour. Over-mixing can make the bread tough.

Finally, gently mix in the lemon zest, then fold in the whole blueberries.

Spray a nine-by-five-inch loaf pan with non-stick spray. I love to use Baker's Joy Cooking Spray With Flour. A "sling" of parchment paper helps ensure you can lift the freshly baked, tender bread out without breaking!

Scatter the remaining blueberries on top, then pop the loaf into a 350-degree oven for about 50-60 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean and the top is a light golden brown.

How To Crown Your Blueberry Lemon Bread

Stir the remaining lemon juice and one-fourth cup of powdered sugar, ensuring no lumps remain. Set that aside while the bread bakes. Gather up the remaining lemon zest and mix it with about a tablespoon of coarse sanding sugar.

When the bread comes out of the oven, poke holes all through the hot loaf with a skewer or chopstick, then pour the glaze slowly over the bread, allowing it to soak into the bread. While it is still warm, sprinkle the lemony sanding sugar over the loaf and let it cool completely before slicing it.

Quickbreads are a delight to make; by reducing the baking time, you can easily bake them in small and mini loaf pans. Wee loaves of quickbread make a wonderful little gift for someone who could use a hug.

You'll also love One-Bowl Rustic Rhubarb Bread and Easy Cinnamon Bread. Hungry for more? Type bread in the search bar!

Yield: 9 slices

Blueberry Lemon Bread

Print

A beautiful tender loaf of lemon bread bursting with fresh blueberries then topped with lemon glaze and lemony sanding sugar.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 3/4 cup granulated suger
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 fresh lemon, zested and juice squeezed
• 1 1/4 cup freh blueberries
• 1 Tbsp flour
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 Tbsp coarse sanding sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray a 9" by 5" loaf pan with non-stick spray. For added success, put a parchment paper liner in place with extra paper hanging over the long sides to lift the loaf out of the pan. (see photo on the post)
3. Wash the blueberries and pat them dry. Reserve 1/4 cup of the berries. Put one cup of blueberries in a small bowl and dust with one tablespoon of flour until well coated.
4. Zest the lemon and squeeze out all the juice, removing all seeds. Cut the lemon zest into tiny confetti-like pieces. Set the juice and zest aside.
5. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add the eggs and milk. Stir in one tablespoon of the lemon juice.
6. Stir in the baking powder and salt into the batter first to ensure they are well combined, then the flour, stirring just enough to incorporate all the flour. Over-mixing can make the bread tough.
7. Gently fold in the lemon zest, then the whole blueberries.
8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and scatter the remaining blueberries on top, then pop the loaf into a 350-degree oven for about 50-60 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean and the top is a light golden brown.
9. Mix the remaining lemon juice with 1/4 cup of powdered sugar and set aside.
10. Mix remaining lemon zest with coarse sanding sugar and set aside.
11. When the bread comes out of the oven, poke holes all through the hot loaf with a skewer or chopstick, then pour the glaze slowly over the bread, allowing it to soak into the bread.
12. While it is still warm, sprinkle the lemony sanding sugar over the loaf and let it cool completely before slicing it.

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