Lemon Blueberry Bread

[Diane Lane]

I've made a lot of quick breads in my day, but for some reason, it never occurred to me to combine the tastes of blueberries and lemons. This is a quick bread that involves lemon zest, as well as lemon juice, so be sure to pick up a few lemons if you're going to make it. I always have reconstituted lemon juice on hand just in case, but for this recipe, I used fresh. The blueberries seem to be at their peak right now, very lush and juicy, so it was the perfect time to make this bread. I would substitute confectioner's sugar for the granulated sugar in the glaze, but other than that, it came out very nice. Here's a link to the recipe.

 

[Diane Lane]

I'm almost to the end of the Lemon Blueberry bread, and it's so delicious I think I'm going to go buy more blueberries and lemons and make another batch, but this time a double one. I'll freeze a whole loaf and maybe half of the other one, also. I'll definitely use confectioner's sugar for the glaze, because the granulated sugar made for a slightly gritty texture, but it was still delicious. I had leftover granulated sugar glaze, and have been using it in my hot tea.

 

[rz3300]

Well this is really combining two of my favorites when it comes to sweets, so this is certainly something that I will have to keep on hand on my list of things to make. I really like the look of it too, and especially that little crust on the outside...that is always my favorite part. I try to incorporate as many blueberries as I can into my summer cooking, so this is right up my alley. Thanks for sharing.

 

[cupcakechef]

LOVE the combination of lemon and blueberry...it's actually one of my favorites! Usually for July 4th we make a big lemon and blueberry bundt cake which has always been a hit and always has people asking for the recipe! Most people seem to be unable to stop at just one slice!

 

[Diane Lane]

Aldi had blueberries on sale, and strawberries, as well. I picked up 2 packages of the blueberries, and also some lemons, because this bread came out so delicious that I want to make another. I might add a few chopped strawberries, but I might not, because I really liked the combination of the blueberries and lemon. I'll definitely use confectioner's sugar for the topping this time, though. I really didn't care for the granular consistency of the topping in the recipe.

 

[Winterybella]

I love this recipe. It's just to find the blueberries. They are not that common around here and I am sure they are going to be quite expensive but I would not mind investing in some to make this. I don't see a lot of lemons either. I do have a lime tree that is beginning to overflow with limes. I always want to know if you could substitute limes for lemons in recipes. What do you think @Diane Lane.

 

[Diane Lane]

@Winterybella I often substitute lime for lemon when cooking/baking. For something like this, the lime might be a big sharper, so you might need to add a little more sugar, but I'm sure lime blueberry would be delicious. In some things, I prefer lime over lemon, and in others, vice versa.

I just made another loaf yesterday, and again, it came out delicious. I substituted confectioner's sugar for the granulated in the glaze, but I think next time (and there will be a next time), I might mix it in with milk, instead of the lemon juice. I just can't get the consistency right with the lemon juice, and the bread is lemony enough to not make it a concern.

 

[Winterybella]

Just because I have lots of limes I made some scones and used a little lime juice with them. In the end I did not taste it any. Sometimes I think it should not really make a difference with limes or lemons but like you suggested, the lime might be a bit sharper @Diane Lane . Are you like me? When I make something and it's good, I repeat it over and over again until I get tired of it.

 

[Diane Lane]

I do tend to repeat successes, and since I'm happy with this recipe (I even gave it to my mom) @Winterybella, I will probably make it a few more times while blueberries are in season here, and tuck it away for next year, as well. I will hopefully get around to making at least one extra and freezing it, as well. There's nothing better in the middle of a cold Winter, than having something made with fresh berries that I can pull out of the freezer and have with tea when a craving hits.

 

[Corzhens]

@Diane Lane, you just don't know that the picture you posted of that lemon blueberry whatever made me salivate. One of my favorite type of bread is like that, brown and sugary sweet. I just don't know if I can bake that kind of beauty because I admit that I have a low aptitude in baking although I have an extremely high aptitude in eating. We have no blueberry here so I guess mulberry can be a substitute? And for the lemon, what we have in our garden is the lime, there's some fruits right now.

So in case my husband agrees to bake it for me, it will be lime-mulberry bread. Is that okay?

 

[Diane Lane]

@Diane Lane, you just don't know that the picture you posted of that lemon blueberry whatever made me salivate. One of my favorite type of bread is like that, brown and sugary sweet. I just don't know if I can bake that kind of beauty because I admit that I have a low aptitude in baking although I have an extremely high aptitude in eating. We have no blueberry here so I guess mulberry can be a substitute? And for the lemon, what we have in our garden is the lime, there's some fruits right now.

So in case my husband agrees to bake it for me, it will be lime-mulberry bread. Is that okay?

I'm not familiar with mulberries, so I don't know how close the taste would be, but I'm sure the limes would be fine, with maybe a hint of extra sugar. If your hubby or one of the housemaids agrees to make it, they could taste the batter before baking, and it should give them a good idea. I tasted mine, and it was sweet before baking, so I'd aim for that with the substitutions. It's not overly sweet once it's baked, but is slightly sweet before going into the oven. I love lime, so I'd be happy with substituting that for the lemons, without any hesitation. I looked around and saw that they do have a sweet taste, so they'd probably be fine. If you have bilberries, those are supposed to taste just like blueberries, so those would be good also.

 

[Zyni]

I probably would have never come up with this flavor combination either, but it does sound really good. I like your tip about the sugar for the glaze. I would also use powdered sugar.

One of my girls likes lemon muffins and blueberry muffins, so she has a hard time choosing. With this, she could have both.

 

[rz3300]

Well @Corzhens I think that it might take me a little getting used to if if wanted to substitute lime and mulberry for lemon an blueberry, but that just probably shows you the geographic elements at play. I do think it is something that I would like to try, though, and for that thanks for sharing.

 

[Winterybella]

I do tend to repeat successes, and since I'm happy with this recipe (I even gave it to my mom) @Winterybella, I will probably make it a few more times while blueberries are in season here, and tuck it away for next year, as well. I will hopefully get around to making at least one extra and freezing it, as well. There's nothing better in the middle of a cold Winter, than having something made with fresh berries that I can pull out of the freezer and have with tea when a craving hits.

You freeze the bread for how long? I have NEVER frozen anything thing. My mom sent me some bananas yesterday, that are over ripe and I am wondering if to freeze them. I don't know I like the effect when I freeze them. I would be so interesting to freeze my bread.How does it come out?

 

[Corzhens]

I'm not familiar with mulberries, so I don't know how close the taste would be, but I'm sure the limes would be fine, with maybe a hint of extra sugar. If your hubby or one of the housemaids agrees to make it, they could taste the batter before baking, and it should give them a good idea. I tasted mine, and it was sweet before baking, so I'd aim for that with the substitutions. It's not overly sweet once it's baked, but is slightly sweet before going into the oven. I love lime, so I'd be happy with substituting that for the lemons, without any hesitation. I looked around and saw that they do have a sweet taste, so they'd probably be fine. If you have bilberries, those are supposed to taste just like blueberries, so those would be good also.

I cannot say if mulberry and blueberry would have the same taste because I don't know the taste of blueberry although I had seen it in S&R, in the imported section. But maybe I can try it for an experiment. Let us see if someone in the house would accept my challenge for a lime-mulberry bread. By the way, it is rainy season here and the mulberry has lots of fruits ready for picking.

PS. Not to brag but we are to bake a taro pie later today. I will post about it.

 

[Zyni]

You freeze the bread for how long? I have NEVER frozen anything thing. My mom sent me some bananas yesterday, that are over ripe and I am wondering if to freeze them. I don't know I like the effect when I freeze them. I would be so interesting to freeze my bread.How does it come out?

I have had great luck with freezing muffins (which tend to be about the same consistency as "quick breads"). I think it would work fine. You might want to freeze slices instead of whole loaves, not sure. I had banana muffins (because I had overripe bananas) in the freezer for a couple of months and they were perfectly fine once thawed. They were still even moist.

 

[rz3300]

I have had great luck with freezing muffins (which tend to be about the same consistency as "quick breads"). I think it would work fine. You might want to freeze slices instead of whole loaves, not sure. I had banana muffins (because I had overripe bananas) in the freezer for a couple of months and they were perfectly fine once thawed. They were still even moist.

I think you are right on the whole freezing slices versus freezing loaves. I cannot say that I know the science behind it or anything but I know that when I freeze loaves it makes for a different consistently throughout the bread. It is still fine, and it is probably me being picky, but my bread matters if I am using it for sandwiches and the stuff in the middle gets a weird texture, but maybe it is just me. Good to think about at least.

 

[Zyni]

Yeah, I think it depends on how dense the bread is too. Banana bread is pretty dense. I prefer muffins though, and they freeze nicely. I do them individually. I would package up separate slices of bread, so I could just pop one out when I want to use it.