blueberry lemon muffin bread
If there is one thing I can be remembered for in this life, I hope it is this blueberry lemon muffin bread.
Just kidding. I hope to remembered for other, perhaps more important, things, but I do also intend to have this bread go down in history books as one of the greats.
That’s not to say this bread isn’t important in its own way. I mean, there are fresh blueberries and lemon zest speckled throughout the loaf that is then topped with the best crunch topping in all the land. To say you need this bread ASAP is an understatement. You, like, NEED this bread.
Of course, being in the throes of Whole30 right now, this bread is completely off-limits to my salivating tastebuds, but you can bet your bottom dollar that come May 1, I am going to town on this loaf of blueberry lemon goodness. In fact, I have half of the loaf in my freezer for that very occasion. I cannot wait. I’m going to eat an avocado in anticipation.
So how do I know what this bread even tastes like if I can’t eat it, you ask? It’s called a spit cup, you guys. I learned this trick from working in the test kitchens at General Mills, where we often use them while taste-testing a bunch of recipes. So yes. I took a bite of this glorious bread, tasted all of its fresh, fruity, crunchy-topped goodness to make sure it passed the test, and then spit. it. out. You can be embarrassed for me, I understand (my friends are shaking their heads at me right now, I know it).
But to move along to more exciting and, um, palatable topics, if there is one quick bread you should bake to ring in spring, it’s this one. The fresh blueberries add sweetness and tang, the lemon zest adds a hint of brightness and zing, and the crunch topping — well, I keep talking about it because it’s just THE BEST. I’m thinking about just making big batches of it sometime to sprinkle on everything, from oatmeal to granola. It’s just the logical thing to do.
And hey, it’s almost the weekend, which is a great time to bake up a loaf or three for breakfasts, snacks and desserts! Let’s raise a slice of bread to that (or for me, a slice of avocado).
PrintBlueberry Lemon Muffin Bread
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour 15 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 mins
- Yield: 1 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch loaf 1x
- Category: Bread
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For the bread:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries (or frozen, thawed and drained)
For the crunch topping:
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cubed
Instructions
- Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease bottom and sides of 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch loaf pan with butter or spray with cooking spray.
- In medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt. In separate large bowl, beat butter and sugar 1 to 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until combined. Add lemon zest. Beat in dry ingredients alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
- To make crunch topping: In small bowl, combine sugars and flour. Using fingers or pastry blender, mix in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle mixture over top of batter in loaf pan.
- Bake loaf 1 hour 15 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely. Run knife along edges of pan before removing loaf.
Hey, pretty! I bet it was torture wrapping this up for the freezer, but now you can tell us how well it freezes 🙂
I am sure this has been frozen with my name on it. I will be by to pick it up! 🙂
Yes, YES you are right I do NEED this bread!! It looks so amazing and I bet you can’t wait to pull it out of the freezer. Looks so delicious!
Can I use lemon extract instead of lemon peel?
Denise — If using lemon extract, I would only use about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon or it might be too overpowering. But it should work.
Muffin bread? So much yes. Died at the avocado bit- hang in there! 🙂
Muffin bread forever and always!!! I love the stuff and this classic flavour is calling my name!
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It looks perfect! Like I love how well distributed the blueberries are in the slices, you are so talented!! And strong, I don’t know if I would have enough self control to just wrap it up and not eat a slice!!!
Oh man you have more will power than me! I don’t think I would’ve been able to spit it out as lemon blueberry bread is one of my favorites! Love all those beautiful blueberries throughout!!
Oh yum! I make mini bundts that are blueberry and lemon so that I just eat one at a time. I never works though!
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
It’s raining and all my life needs right now is a slice of this gorgeous bread…. you had me at crunch topping!
Hi Stephanie. Can I make muffins instead of loaves? More portion control for me. I’ll eat the whole loaf ????
Chayo — Haha, I understand the struggle. Yes, you can bake this into muffins! Just be sure to shorten the baking time by a lot (like, probably at least half) because the muffins will bake more quickly. Enjoy!
Oh no you had to spit it out! Ugh that must have been extremely difficult because this looks scrumptious!! Kudos to you!