Blueberry bread is an easy to make quick bread with fresh blueberries and an irresistible lemon glaze. A perfect summer treat for breakfast or snacktime!
This Blueberry Bread is studded with blueberries all through the batter and topped with a thick lemon glaze. I love moist and flavorful quick breads and this one does the trick. It’s a quick and easy recipe with honey and brown sugar to sweeten and a zesty lemon icing that goes perfectly with sweet ripe blueberries. I love a slice of this tasty bread for breakfast or as an afternoon snack in the summer. It’s definitely a kid-pleaser at my house!
What is quick bread?
Instead of yeast, quick breads are leavened with baking powder and/or baking soda. Breads with yeast have a long rise time whereas quick breads can go right in the oven after the batter comes together. It’s best to mix the batter as little as possible for a light and tender loaf. The more you mix, the more the gluten is developed, making for a tough-textured bread.
Can I use frozen blueberries to make blueberry quick bread?
Yes, you can use frozen, but don’t let them thaw first. Thawing will cause the blueberries to bleed into the batter. Fold the frozen berries into the batter gently to prevent breaking the berries and to minimize streaking.
How to keep blueberries from sinking.
I toss the blueberries in a tablespoon or two of flour to coat. Instead of mixing in the blueberries with a spoon, I fold them in the batter right before baking. The flour coating keeps the fruit in place by absorbing some of the liquid released by the fruit as it bakes. I also add some blueberries to the top of the batter right before baking.
How do I tell if my blueberry bread is ready?
I avoid the toothpick method of checking for doneness, It always seems to come out clean and most of what was on the toothpick will be held back as you pull out the toothpick.
Instead, I gently press down on the top of the cake with a fingertip and if the cake feels spongy and springs back then it’s done. If it doesn’t spring back or feel stiff then I’d give it another 5 minutes and test again. I always say the best tools to use while you cook and bake are your hands, so get stuck in (after you wash them, right!)
How to store blueberry bread.
The bread should cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to finish cooling. Make sure the bread cools completely before storing. If it’s still emitting heat, you run the risk of condensation, which will make your bread soggy.
Once the bread is cool, store it in a sealable container or resealable plastic bag lined with paper towels. The paper towels absorb excess moisture and keep the bread fresh for longer. If the paper towels get excessively moist, change them out for fresh ones after a day or two. The blueberry bread will keep fresh at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 4 days.
The bread can be frozen in individual slices that have been wrapped in plastic wrap. After wrapping, store the slices in a resealable plastic bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. To thaw, take out a slice and let it come to room temperature, then warm it in the oven or microwave.
Tips for baking.
- Spoon flour into your measuring cup as opposed to dipping the measuring cup into the storage container.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Mix just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Some small lumps in the batter are fine.
- Dry the blueberries thoroughly after washing them.
- Fold the blueberries into the batter gently with a silicone spatula to minimize streaking.
- Cool the bread before glazing.
Check out these other blueberry recipes you might like!
Easy Blueberry Bread with Lemon Glaze
Equipment
- stand mixer
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp baking soda
- 2 cups fresh blueberries
- 1 tbsp all purpose flour
- zest of one lemon
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup whole milk
- 3 tbsp honey
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Line a 9×5 inch loaf tin with parchment paper leaving a small overhang.
- In a bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and baking soda.
- Rinse the blueberries under cold water and drain on paper towels gently patting them dry.
- Toss the blueberries in another bowl with the tbsp of flour and set aside.
- Using a stand mixer with a whisk, beat the lemon zest, eggs, brown sugar, milk and honey together.
- Add the flour gently making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times.
- Using a spatula, gently fold in the blueberries and transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake for about 45-50 minutes or until the top of the loaf feels firm to the touch.
- Let the blueberry bread cool while you make the glaze.
- Whisk the powdered sugar, lemon juice and vanilla together in a microwave safe bowl until there are no lumps.
- Place in the microwave for 20 seconds and whisk again until smooth.
- Pour the glaze over the blueberry bread and let set for at lleast an hour.
- Carefully lift the bread out of the tin and slice using a sharp serrated knife.
Hi Gerry,
first of all thanks for your great recipes! I like your food photography a lot.
Now I have a question, maybe you can help me out: I wanted to pin the very first image of your post – the cake on the white enamel platter. But either with Tailwind or via the Pin Button, your system seems to dictate me what to pin. I can only pin the image with text overlay or the close up, which I don’t want to pin. Am I overseeing something? Or could you please allow to pin freely from your site? Thank you!
Best, Vera
Hi Vera, you’re right, I’m trying out a new way of making pins available.
No butter or oil?
Not in this one Rhonda
Do you have to use parchment paper?
I always like to take that extra safety step to avoid sticking
Hello
I made this recipe 2 times now to make sure I didn’t mess anything up. Double checked that my blueberries and lemons had good flavor and they did. Both times the bread came out tasting horribly very bland almost no sweetness in taste and the crumb was quite dry.
Hi Sam, sorry to hear that, I’m not sure what could have went wrong as many other people made it and loved it.