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Lemon Blueberry Bread

This Lemon Blueberry Bread is incredibly soft and moist. It’s loaded with ripe, juicy blueberries, fresh lemon juice and zest and topped with a sweet lemon icing. This lemon blueberry bread takes only a few minutes to mix together.

Lemon Blueberry Bread

Imagine getting a slice of the best iced lemon loaf cake, but with the addition of ripe, juicy blueberries. This Lemon Blueberry Bread has a soft, tender crumb with supremely fresh flavor that you can only get from a homemade lemon blueberry bread recipe. If you’re looking for a loaf cake to make, this is the one I highly recommend. I honestly think the blueberry lemon bread combo can be great for winter, spring or even summer.

I love baking quick breads, because they are so easy to make. They usually only take minutes to mix together and provide a great, sweet breakfast or brunch treat. Whether you refer to this as a Lemon Blueberry Loaf Cake or a Lemon Blueberry Bread, it’s delicious and a recipe I guarantee you will want to make again and again!

Here is Why You Will Love This Lemon Blueberry Bread

  • extremely moist
  • bright, zesty lemon flavors balance really well with the sweet, ripe, juicy blueberries
  • velvety smooth crumb that just melts in your mouth
  • it can be made in one bowl, and takes less than 15 minutes to mix together
  • this Lemon Blueberry Bread uses Greek Yogurt in the batter, which adds some nutrition and protein to the bread

The Best Ingredients to Use

This Lemon Blueberry Bread uses fresh ingredients which truly make this recipe delicious.

Fresh Ingredients: This recipe uses fresh lemon juice and zest. The recipe conveniently uses 2 lemons for zest and 2 lemons for the juice, so you don’t have to worry about wasting any part of the lemon. I don’t recommend using bottled lemon juice, as the flavor isn’t quite as strong. This recipe also uses fresh blueberries. However, you can certainly substitute for frozen blueberries if that is what you have on hand.

Wet Ingredients: This recipe starts with the addition of lemon zest and granulated sugar. You’ll rub the zest into the granulated sugar, which helps release the natural oils and flavor in the lemon zest. Another key to this recipe is that it uses a combination of vegetable oil and butter. The butter adds that delicious buttery taste, while the oil helps lend to a tighter, more velvety crumb. You’ll also need eggs, milk, vanilla extract and Greek yogurt.

Dry Ingredients: For the dry ingredients, you will need all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and blueberries. The baking powder and baking soda combination I’ve found gives this lemon blueberry bread recipe the best rise and texture. The baking soda works immediately to begin rising the bread, while the baking powder has a more sustained rise during the baking process.

Helpful Tip: It’s easiest to zest the lemon before cutting it in half and juicing it.

The Batter Will be Thick!

This Lemon Blueberry Bread recipe doesn’t have a lot of liquid in it – just a small amount of milk, lemon juice and two eggs. The batter tends to be a bit thicker, which actually works quite well to help with suspending the blueberries and making sure they don’t sink.

This bread bakes in a 9×5 inch loaf pan for approximately 50-60 minutes. I know, it’s a long bake time! But, trust me, it’s worth it. I like to check on the bread roughly halfway through baking to make sure the top is not getting too brown. I, personally, did not have to tent the top of the loaf with aluminum foil. However, if you notice the top appears to be getting darker, you can tent the top with a piece of aluminum foil.

Since this batter is thick, the batter will be more so spread into your parchment paper lined, greased 9×5 inch loaf pan.

Helpful Tip: Spray your 9×5 inch pan with nonstick cooking spray, then line your 9×5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper. The cooking spray helps the parchment paper stick, and it also helps the batter not stick to the pan in case some of it seeps under/over the parchment paper liner. The parchment paper helps in a couple different ways. First of all, it helps prevent the sides and bottom of the loaf from getting too dark. Secondly, it makes for a convenient and easy way to lift the bread up and out of the pan.

The Finishing Touch…the Lemon Icing!

The piece that really ties this blueberry lemon bread together is the lemon icing. The icing contains fresh lemon juice and a small amount of zest. It’s sweet, bright, zingy flavor pairs perfectly with the sweetness of the bread and ripe, juicy blueberries.

The icing sets after pouring over the bread. Feel free to leave the lemon zest out of the actual icing and use it as a garnish on top of the bread.

Storage

Store this cake in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature, or up to 1 week in the refrigerator.

FAQ

why does lemon and blueberry go together?

The tartness in lemons balances well with the sweetness in blueberries. Further, lemon helps to enhance the flavor of blueberries, as the acidic lemon juice helps to bring out their natural sweet flavors.

can I use frozen blueberries?

Yes! Frozen blueberries work great in this recipe. However, you want to make sure you fold them gently into the batter as the blueberries can easily turn the batter a purple color.

do i need to add lemon zest?

The lemon zest is a key part to this lemon blueberry bread. The zest really adds to the bright, zesty lemon flavor in this bread.

can I make this bread gluten free?

Yes, you can use a 1:1 gluten free flour replacement (like a gluten free all-purpose flour blend) in place of the all-purpose flour in this recipe. Just make sure the all-purpose flour blend has xanthan gum in it.

how do i keep the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the bread?

Tossing the blueberries in a small amount of flour helps keep the blueberries suspended in the lemon blueberry bread batter. The flour helps the blueberries “cling” to the batter, keeping them suspended.

Here are a few other breakfast recipes I think you will love

Let me know what you thought!

If you make this Lemon Blueberry Bread, let me know what you thought in the ratings and comments below. I absolutely love reading all of your comments! Also, make sure to snap a picture and tag me @simplebakingwithpep on instagram. It truly makes my day to see all of your wonderful creations.

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Lemon Blueberry Bread


5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 1 review

  • Author: Jolene
  • Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
  • Yield: 8 1x

Description

This Lemon Blueberry Bread is incredibly soft and moist. It’s loaded with ripe, juicy blueberries, fresh lemon juice and zest and topped with a sweet lemon icing. This lemon blueberry bread takes only a few minutes to mix together.


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • Zest of 2 lemons
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • Juice of 2 lemons
  • 1/2 cup greek yogurt
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups fresh blueberries (or frozen)

Icing

  • 1 cups powdered sugar
  • Juice from 1/2 lemon
  • Zest of 1/2 lemon

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9×5 inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and line with parchment paper.

2. Toss the blueberries with 1 tablespoon of flour. Set aside.

3. In a bowl add your sugar and lemon zest. Use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar. This will help release the natural oils in the lemon.

4. Add the oil, butter, lemon juice, Greek yogurt, milk, eggs and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine.

5. Add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt. Whisk just until combined. Fold in the blueberries.

6. Pour/spread batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake in preheated oven for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely in loaf pan.

7. Once cool, make the icing. In a medium size bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice and zest. You can also reserve the zest and use as a garnish on top of the bread. Drizzle the icing over the bread.

8. Store leftovers covered in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature, or up to 1 week in the refrigerator.

Notes

Freezing instructions: You can make the Lemon Blueberry Bread ahead of time, then freeze it for up to 3 months. Bake the bread, then allow it completely cool. Wrap in a layer of plastic wrap, then place in a freezer safe zip-top bag. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, before drizzling the icing over top and serving.

Baking: Baking times can vary. If you are using a 9×5 inch loaf pan, begin checking the bread around 50 minutes. The bread will be done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean. A few moist crumbs are fine. If you are using an 8×4 inch loaf pan, begin checking around 55 minutes. The bread will take longer to bake in the 8×4 inch pan. 

Prevent the top from getting too brown: Check the bread around the halfway point. If the bread appears to be getting too dark, tent with a piece of aluminum foil.

Cooling the bread: Cool the bread in the loaf pan on a wire cooling rack. This will allow air flow to get underneath the pan as well as around the sides to evenly cool the bread.

  • Prep Time: 15
  • Cook Time: 55
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American

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4 Comments

  1. Made this for our Sunday brunch over the weekend. INCREDIBLE! Everyone loved it. Thank you so much for the wonderful recipe.






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