This beautiful blueberry bread is swirled with a simple blueberry compote and topped with a lemon sugar topping for the perfect crunch. Just what you need for breakfast.
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It’s time to meet your new favorite breakfast. This Blueberry Bread is officially just that at our house.
I adjusted our favorite blueberry muffins to create this perfectly moist and totally addicting bread that’s best served hot with a generous slather of salted buter.
The Blueberry Swirl
The bread is swirled with a homemade blueberry compote so first, that needs to be made. The process is super simple and I’ll walk you through it here.
You’ll need the following ingredients for the blueberry compote:
Yep, that’s it. Add the blueberries and sugar to a small saucepan over medium heat and bring it to a simmer.
As the blueberries are simmering and softening, use a potato masher or the back of a spoon to mash the bluerries. You’ll want some texture so don’t mash them completely.
Simmer the mixture for about 10 minutes, until it has reduced to 3/4 cup of blueberry compote. Allow it to cool as you prepare the bread batter.
Note: you can use frozen blueberries but first you need to thaw them and drain any liquid that is released. Then proceed as the instructions direct.
Preparing the Batter for Blueberry Bread
I love using my stand mixer but sometimes it’s just so nice to grab out a bowl and get to whisking and stirring. The batter for this bread is a one bowl situation.
First we’re going to start by making a “homemade” buttermilk. I went this direction because whenever I buy buttermilk I end up using half and then the rest goes bad which makes me so sad to waste.
So instead, we’ll make our own buttermilk by mixing 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice with a cup of whole milk in your mixing bowl. Whisk together then allow it to sit for 5 minutes.
The lemon juice may cause the milk to curdle but that’s totally fine. That means it’s soured like buttermilk and will add a delicious tang to the blueberry bread.
Next, mix in the remaining wet ingredients: eggs, oil, buttermilk and vanilla extract. Whisk in the granulated sugar next.
Now fold in the all-purpose flour, salt and baking powder. Mix until it just comes together. This will keep the bread super tender and light.
Assembling the Blueberry Bread
Grease a 9×5 loaf pan well and pour in half the batter. Next, using a tablespoon measure, dollop 6 tablespoons around the batter. Swirl gently with a toothpick.
Gently pour the remaining batter on top and smooth carefully. Dollop the remaining blueberry compote over the top and swirl again.
For the crunchy topping, mix coarse sugar (I like Sugar in the Raw) with the zest of one lemon. Sprinkle over the top of the loaf then bake.
The Results
Once baked, you’ll end up with a moist, tender bread studded with that delicious blueberry compote. The lemon sugar topping adds a nice texture and a little citrus zing.
The lemon is so nice with the blueberries. It’s kind of a match made in heaven.
More Quick Breads:
Blueberry Bread
Ingredients
For the blueberry compote:
- 1 pint fresh blueberries
- 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
For the bread:
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
For the topping:
- 1/3 cup coarse sugar (Sugar in the Raw)
- zest of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9×5 loaf pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
- For the blueberry compote: add blueberries and sugar to a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer. Mash blueberries as you're stirring. You want some chunks but some smoothness too Continue cooking until mixture has reduced to 3/4 cup, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool slighty.
- Add whole milk and lemon juice to a large bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes. Whisk in eggs, sour cream, oil, vanilla extract and sugar. Add flour, baking powder and salt and fold in until just combined. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the coarse sugar and lemon zest. Roll between your fingers as you're mixing to release the oils from the lemon zest.
- Pour half the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Dollop 6 tablespoons of the blueberry compote randomly over the batter. Swirl with a toothpick. Gently spread the remaining batter over the blueberries. Dollop the remaining compote over top and swirl with toothpick. Sprinkle with lemon sugar. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
