Happy Easter everyone! With the warm temperatures we’ve been having this week in the mountains, coupled with the fact that March is just about over, I’m feeling upbeat and excited for summer. I know we still have a ways to go, but I’m ready.
A lot of snow has melted and now I can actually go out onto my patio. The last few mornings I like to go out there with my coffee and something to read, while I soak up some warm Colorado sunshine.
Looking through an old cookbook one morning, I came across this recipe. My mom used to make this bread in the summertime, and it was one of my favorites. There is just something about the classic pairing of lemon and blueberry- wonderfully tart yet sweet, and despite being a quick bread, the lemon makes it seem light.
This bread isn’t too sweet, so if you’re seeking something a bit more indulgent, whisk together some fresh squeezed lemon juice (and/or milk) and powdered sugar until you get a thick but viscous consistency. Drizzle it over the cooled bread.
Like any quick bread, this recipe tastes better the second day. I usually bake my quick breads in the evening so they are good to go for breakfast. Since there is no oil in the recipe, this bread doesn’t taste heavy.
How to make this high altitude adjusted recipe:
Lemon Blueberry Bread
Adapted from Taste of Home
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup + ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1½ cups + ½ tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- Preheat your oven to 350 F.
- Grease a 9 x 5" loaf pan and line the bottom with a strip of parchment paper.
- In a bowl, whisk together the melted butter, sugar, lemon juice, eggs, and vanilla.
- In another bowl, combine the 1½ cups flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Alternately whisk the flour mixture and milk into the butter/egg mixture, stirring until just combined. Some flour streaks are fine.
- Toss the blueberries with the ½ tablespoon of flour. This prevents them from sinking to the bottom of the bread while they bake.
- Fold the blueberries and lemon zest into the batter, taking care not to over mix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the bread is a light golden brown on the edges and a skewer poked into the center comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Once cooled, wrap well in plastic wrap.
Note: This recipe was adjusted for high altitude baking. To make at sea level, increase the sugar to 1 cup, reduce the lemon juice to 3 tablespoons, and increase the baking powder to 1 teaspoon.
