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!
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!
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.
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!
A beautiful tender loaf of lemon bread bursting with fresh blueberries then topped with lemon glaze and lemony sanding sugar.
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I am going to make this lemony blueberry quick bread with glaze
It looks good.
AWesome!! Thank you! Be sure and let me know what you think of it!! It's been popular! B
I just made this. It took 80 minutes in my oven and I used glaze instead of sugar on top but it came out good and very tasty. I wanted to post a couple of photos but it looks like we can only leave comments.
Thank you for this recipe.
Wow! How nice of you to take time to share your results and I'm so glad it turned out well for you!! if you'd like to send me a picture, you can email it to gb@gbskitchen.com and I will watch fot it!