Lemon Blueberry Bread

A slice of the finished lemon blueberry bread showing its moist delicious center and topped with a sweet icing.

Print Recipe

5 from 4 votes

Lemon Blueberry Bread is moist, tender, and topped with a crisp crumble and sweet lemon glaze—and it rises beautifully!

Prep Time20

Cook Time1

Cooling Time1 15

Total Time2 35

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American, Vegetarian

Keyword: blueberry lemon bread, lemon blueberry bread, lemon blueberry bread recipe

Servings: slices (1 loaf)

Author: Chelsea Lords

Cost: $5.96

Equipment

1-pound bread pan see note 1
Cooling rack

Ingredients

Cooking spray

Dry Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients

1 large egg at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup canola oil or vegetable oil
1/3 cup full-fat Greek yogurt I love honey-vanilla flavored; or use full-fat sour cream; at room temperature
3/4 cup whole milk at room temperature
2 large lemons see note 2
2 tablespoons lemon extract see note 3
1-1/4 cup fresh blueberries or frozen, divided, see note 4
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

Topping

2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Glaze optional, 1/2 cup powdered sugar + 1 tablespoon lemon juice

US - Metric

Instructions

It’s important the wet ingredients are all at the same temperature (room temperature) for them to combine nicely. Pull out of the fridge about 45 mins to an hour before using. Grease and lightly flour a 9x5-inch loaf pan. Preheat oven to 350°F.
Add all the wet ingredients to a large bowl. Whisk together until completely smooth.
Add all the dry ingredients to a large bowl. Whisk together. Make a well in the center. Pour wet ingredients on top of the dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon until a smooth batter forms. (Don’t use a stand or hand mixer—they beat in too much air).
Wash and dry blueberries. Add 1 cup blueberries to a small bowl and toss with 2 teaspoons flour until nicely coated (keeps berries from sinking to bottom). Add to the batter and gently stir to mix through.
Pour and smooth batter into prepared pan. Gently press remaining 1/4 cup blueberries into the top of the bread. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons brown sugar plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar on top of the loaf (just sprinkle evenly on top; don’t press down). Bake for 60–75 minutes or until a toothpick when inserted into the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs.
Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 15 minutes before inverting onto a wire cooling rack. Let cool a further 1 hour before slicing. Don’t rush the cooling; the bread is still “baking”/solidifying.
In a small bowl, add powdered sugar. Add a tiny pinch of salt and slowly add in lemon juice while whisking until glaze consistency is formed. Transfer glaze to a plastic bag and cut off the tip. Pipe the glaze over the completely cooled bread.

Video

Notes

Note 1: Be sure to use the correct size pan so the recipe works properly. Here’s the loaf pan I use and love. If you use an 8x4-inch pan, only add 75% of the batter and note the bake time is shorter. Don’t forget to generously grease the pan with cooking spray (or shortening), then lightly dust with flour. Alternatively, line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal.

Note 2: There is a lot of lemon zest—and it’s all needed here—no juice in the bread; I use lemon juice for the glaze! When zesting the lemon, avoid the white pith of the lemon—this is very bitter. Using a zester (like this one), zest only the outside yellow part of the lemon.

Note 3: Lemon extract is not to be confused with lemon juice. Lemon extract is a flavor enhancer (like vanilla extract) that gives the bread a citrusy lemon flavor. Lemon juice would mess up the consistency of the bread. I recommend pure lemon extract. I’ve tested McCormick and Watkin’s in this recipe, and both perform comparably.

Note 4: If using frozen blueberries, grab frozen wild blueberries, which are smaller and sweeter than regular blueberries. To avoid funky bread coloring, don’t mix the blueberries in the batter. First toss in flour, then spoon 1/3 of batter into the pan and hand place the frozen blueberries on top. Add another 1/3 of batter and place more blueberries on top. Finally, spoon the last 1/3 of batter in the pan and place the final blueberries on top and slightly push under the batter.

Storage: This bread lasts up to a week stored in an airtight container and tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, though I like to finish it within 1–3 days. After that, it begins to lose texture (becomes too moist). After the third day, I recommend storing it in the fridge.

Nutrition