Blueberry Bread

Nothing says “Spring is coming” to me quite like breaking out the berry recipes. Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, I’ll happily take them all. There are so many ways to utilize the sweet, tangy fruit, it’s hard to narrow down where to start when the season hits. Baking with blueberries may not actually alleviate the chill still clinging to the air, but it feeds the optimism that warmth is on its way.

Here in Massachusetts, fresh berry picking season is terribly short lived. Plus, as much fun as it is to spend an afternoon with your kids picking your own blueberries at a local farm, it can get expensive very quickly. Because of that, I always reach for frozen berries in any recipe that allows it. Cheaper and a year-round flavorful option? It’s a no-brainer in my book!

This blueberry bread is a very beginner-friendly recipe, perfect for someone just diving into baking from scratch for the first time. It comes together quickly, and doesn’t require any specialty equipment to create. The loaf has a soft, tender crumb, is sweet without being cloyingly so, and has just a little tang from the yogurt. The wild blueberries are small enough that they prevent the inside from getting soggy, while still offering bursts of flavor all throughout. The perfect lazy Sunday treat!

FAQs and Science

I only have regular blueberries, not wild blueberries. Will that work? Yes, I’ve made this bread with regular bigger blueberries plenty of times. It still works just fine, the inside just gets a bit soggy around the berries since they release more water.

I already have fresh blueberries that I need to use up, is that okay? Absolutely! I recommend the frozen because they’re both cheaper and more flavorful on a year-round basis, as I stated above. But fresh blueberries will work perfectly fine, no need to freeze them first. I’m a big fan of using what you’ve already got if you can.

Why whole milk and whole fat yogurt? The full fat variation makes for both a more delicious and better textured blueberry bread. You could use a low-fat variation if you really wanted to, but expect it to be a little more bland and dry. Do not use non-fat, it’ll taste like sadness.

I don’t have any butter, but I do have oil. Could I substitute that for the melted butter? Yes, oil can be substituted for melted butter. But it’s not a 1:1 ratio, as butter has more water in it than oil does!

In place of the 8 Tablespoons of melted butter, use 1/3 cup + 1 Tablespoon of a neutral flavored oil, such as canola or vegetable.

Why does it matter that my egg is room temperature? It’s better for the emulsification of the batter. To achieve this in a reasonable amount of time, place the egg in a small bowl and cover it with the hottest water that comes out of your tap at the beginning of the recipe. By the time you need it, it’ll be good to go!

Can I just spray the loaf pan with non-stick baking spray? I don’t have parchment paper. You can, you just run the slight risk of the bread sticking to the bottom of the pan in particular. Years of baking and running into frustrating situations like a stuck loaf or cake has made me paranoid, so I just automatically use the parchment now to avoid the possible hassle.

Alternatively, you could also line the pan with aluminum foil that you then spray with non-stick baking spray if you’ve got it. Even if it sticks a bit, it’s much easier the peel the foil off than shimmy out a stuck-on baked good from a solid pan. Just take care to keep the foil as smooth as you can, as the loaf will take on whatever shape it’s baked in, including foil wrinkles.

Do not use wax paper, it’s not the same as parchment and it’s not oven-safe.

Why do you wait so long to toss the blueberries in the flour mixture? Tossing the frozen blueberries right before you combine the dry and wet bowls, pour the batter in the pan, and bake helps to prevent them from melting and bleeding everywhere as much. In fact, it’s better that they actually stay in the freezer until you actually need them for this same reason.

If you’re substituting frozen for fresh, don’t worry about waiting. You can toss them in as soon as the dry goods are mixed together, it really wont make a difference.

What You’ll Need

• 9×5 inch loaf pan (I used one made of metal)
• Parchment paper
• Large mixing bowl
• Medium mixing bowl
• Whisk
• Dry measuring cups
• Wet measuring cup
• Measuring spoons
• Rubber spatula
• Cooling rack

The Process

Preheat the oven on 350F, using the convection setting if it’s an option, and prepare the loaf pan. Take a large enough piece of parchment paper to cover both the bottom of the pan and up the two long sides, extending an inch or two above the top.

Spray the remaining exposed shorter sides with a nonstick baking spray, and the blueberry bread will lift right out when it’s finished baking. If you’d rather not be bothered with parchment paper, you could spray the entire inside of the pan with nonstick baking spray, but it runs the risk of the bread sticking at the end.

Now to bake! Take your large mixing bowl, and add in the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk the dry goods all together, and set this bowl aside.

Grab the medium sized mixing bowl, and pour in the melted butter. If your bowl is microwave safe, you could just heat it directly in the mixing bowl to save yourself some dishes! Otherwise, heating it in a pan on the stove top or in another microwave safe bowl and transferring it over will do. To the melted butter, pour in the milk, yogurt, egg, and vanilla extract.

Whisk them together for a minute or two, until they come together in one homogeneous mixture. Set the wet bowl aside.

Grab the flour mixture once more, and toss the frozen wild blueberries throughout it. Waiting until near the end of crafting the recipe to add the blueberries will help ensure that they stay frozen for as long as possible before the loaf is baked off. This will help keep the moisture level in the batter lower, and prevent some of the iconic purple streaking that happens when you bake with blueberries.

Make a well in the center of the blueberry-flour bowl.

This well just helps to ensure all of the flour gets mixed into the final batter, as it allows the liquid mixture to reach the bottom of the dry goods more easily. There’s nothing more frustrating when baking some kind of quick bread and as you’re pouring the batter into the pan, you see a whole missed layer of flour underneath. The well will help alleviate that.

Pour the wet bowl into the well of the dry goods and, using the rubber spatula, gently stir to combine the two into one harmonious batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, and bake it for 75-80 minutes. Start checking the loaf with a toothpick stabbed in the center at 70 minutes, in case your oven runs a bit hot. Once the toothpick comes out clean of batter, the blueberry bread is ready to come out.

Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring it to a cooling rack. Once the loaf is just cool enough to touch, after an additional 10 minutes or so, gently tilt the loaf to remove the parchment paper before allowing it to cool completely on the rack. This prevents the bread from steaming inside the paper, and gives the finished loaf a nicer crust.

When the blueberry bread has cooled completely to room temperature, slice and enjoy! Store it in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic for up to 2 days.

Alternatively at this point, you could wrap the bread tightly in plastic wrap and freeze it to enjoy at a later date. I’d recommend keeping the loaf whole if you’re going this route, to preserve the freshness and prevent freezer burn. A frozen loaf will keep for 3 months or so. Just thaw it on the counter overnight, and it’ll be good to go!

Blueberry Bread

Bake Time: 350F for 75-80 minutes
Servings: 10 Slices
Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Prep Time: 30 Minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup whole milk plain Greek yogurt
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cup frozen wild blueberries

Instructions

1. Start by preheating the oven to 350F, on the convection setting if possible, and prepare the loaf pan. Line the bottom and two long sides of a 9×5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper, ensuring that it comes an inch or two above the top of the pan for easy removal at the end. Spray the uncovered short sides with nonstick baking spray or brush lightly with butter, and set the pan aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set this bowl aside.
3. Melt the butter in either the microwave or on the stove top, and add it to a medium mixing bowl. If your mixing bowl is microwave safe, save some dishes and melt it directly in that bowl! Add the milk, yogurt, egg, and vanilla to the melted butter, and whisk until they become homogeneous. Set it aside.
4. Dump the frozen blueberries into the flour mixture, and gently toss them with a rubber spatula until they’re evenly distributed and coated in flour.
5. Make a well in the center of the flour and blueberry bowl, and pour the entirety of the wet ingredients into the well. Stir them together gently until there are no streaks of flour in the batter, taking care to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl so as not to miss any stray dry mix.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, spreading it evenly throughout. Place the bread in the oven and bake it for 75-80 minutes, checking it with a toothpick poked in the center at the 70 minute mark. When the toothpick comes out clean of batter and the top is golden brown, the bread is ready to come out.
7. Allow the bread to cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Run a butter knife between the bread and the pan where it’s not lined with parchment, and gently lift the loaf out of the pan to transfer it to a cooling rack. When the bread is cool enough to touch, remove the parchment paper completely. Allow the blueberry bread to cool down to room temperature, slice, and enjoy! Store it in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic for up to 2 days, or wrap well and freeze for up to 3 months.

Tips

• Fully baked and cooled blueberry bread can be wrapped in plastic then foil and frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter overnight.