Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website.
Aunt Mary’s Blueberry Bread has a moist, buttery crumb and is bursting with fresh, juicy blueberries and a touch of lemon. Serve the bread for a simple make-ahead breakfast, set out a slice for an afternoon snack, or add a dollop of whipped cream for a light dessert. This is truly a summer treat!
If your idea of heaven is somewhere deep in a patch of blueberry bushes, fingers stained purple and your belly full, then you have come to the right place! There’s no better way to take advantage of the fresh summer fruit than baking a couple of loaves of Aunt Mary’s Lemon Blueberry Bread. She is famous for this recipe, and I’m so lucky that she has shared it with all of us!
Rich and buttery, the bread is a perfect cross between a classic quick bread and a lemon pound cake. It’s full of plump, juicy berries, has just a touch of bright lemon flavor, and is finished with a generous topping of cinnamon and sugar. There’s truly nothing better!
How to make Blueberry Bread:
The bread is made from scratch, but it’s incredibly easy and it comes together with just a handful of simple ingredients. Let’s get started!
Ingredients for Lemon Blueberry Bread:
- Butter or margarine
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Lemon extract (or lemon juice and lemon zest)
- Milk or cream
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Fresh or frozen blueberries
- Cinnamon
Step 1: Prepare the Batter
With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar, add the remaining wet ingredients, and then gradually add the dry ingredients.
Step 2: Add the Blueberries
It’s important to coat the blueberries with flour before gently folding them into the batter. This will prevent the berries from sinking to the bottom of the bread.
Step 3: Transfer to Loaf Pans and Sprinkle with Cinnamon Sugar
Divide the batter evenly between two 8 x 4-inch loaf pans that have been greased or sprayed with cooking spray. Then sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture over top.
Step 4: Bake the Blueberry Bread
Bake the bread in a 350 degree F oven for about 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the bread to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing and serving!
How to serve Lemon Blueberry Bread:
The Blueberry Bread is a perfect addition to a breakfast or brunch spread. Offer some butter and jam on the side and your guests will be thrilled! The bread also goes well with any of these other brunch dishes:
- Sausage Hash Brown Casserole
- Overnight French Toast Casserole
- Fresh fruit salad
- Sally’s Easy Overnight Breakfast Casserole
- Ham, Cheddar and Broccoli Quiche or Quiche Lorraine
- Biscuits and Gravy Casserole
- Crock Pot Breakfast Casserole
- Crustless Quiche with Spinach
You can also serve the bread with a cup of tea for an afternoon snack, or with a dollop of whipped cream for a light summer dessert!
Storage and Preparation Tips:
- Aunt Mary always seems to have at least a couple of loaves of her Blueberry Bread stashed in the freezer for visitors, family and friends. This is a great make-ahead treat that freezes beautifully.
- How to store Lemon Blueberry Bread: The bread will stay fresh when wrapped tightly at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also wrap the bread and store it in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- How to freeze Blueberry Bread: To extend the life of your bread, wrap it tightly and freeze it for up to 3 months.
Cook’s Tips and Recipe Variations:
- Aunt Mary always uses 1-2 teaspoons of lemon extract. If you prefer, you can substitute with 2 tablespoons of grated lemon zest and 2 tablespoons of freshly-squeezed lemon juice.
- Remember that when zesting the lemons, you only want to scrape off the very outer peel. This is where all of the essential oils and flavor can be found. You do NOT want to scrape off the white pith, which has a bitter taste.
- Use the same recipe, but bake a Blueberry Cake in a Bundt pan (instead of using the two loaf pans). Bake the Bundt cake at 325 degrees F for 70-80 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for about 20 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make sure that you spray your pans really well with cooking spray, or grease with butter and sprinkle with flour. This will prevent the cake from sticking to the pan.
- Aunt Mary always sprinkles the top of her bread with the cinnamon-sugar mixture, but a lemon glaze would also be delicious. For a glaze, simply whisk together 2/3 cup of powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (or more as needed), until it’s smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled bread.
- You can use either fresh or frozen blueberries; however, fresh berries are always my preference. If using frozen blueberries, do NOT thaw them before tossing them with flour and adding them to the batter. The frozen blueberries have a tendency to “bleed” more in the batter and turn the bread a light shade of purple.
More blueberry recipes that you might enjoy:
- Blueberry Buckle
- Healthy Blueberry Peach Cobbler
- Whole Wheat Banana Blueberry Muffins
- Mom’s Shortcut Blueberry Muffin Bars
- Blueberry Muffin Oatmeal Cookies
Blueberry Bread
Ingredients
BREAD
- 1 stick (½ cup) salted butter or margarine, softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1-2 teaspoons lemon extract (or 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest with 2 tablespoons lemon juice)
- 1 cup milk
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen), tossed with 1 tablespoon flour
TOPPING
- 3 teaspoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray two 8.5 x 4.5-inch loaf pans with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until incorporated. Slowly add the milk and the lemon flavor (if using); mix to combine. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing just until combined. Be careful not to over-mix the batter.
- Gently fold in the blueberries.
- Divide batter evenly between the two loaf pans. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon for the topping. Sprinkle over the top of the bread.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If the top starts to get too dark, after the first 45 minutes you can loosely cover the bread with foil until it's done baking. Remove from the pans and cool completely on a cooling rack before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Aunt Mary always uses 1-2 teaspoons of lemon extract. If you prefer, you can substitute with 2 tablespoons of grated lemon zest and 2 tablespoons of freshly-squeezed lemon juice. If you don’t want lemon blueberry bread, just omit this ingredient altogether. The bread is delicious even without the citrus flavor.
- Bake a blueberry cake in a Bundt pan (instead of using the two loaf pans). Bake the Bundt cake at 325 degrees F for 70-80 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for about 20 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Instead of the cinnamon-sugar topping, try a lemon glaze. Simply whisk together 1 ¼ cups confectioners sugar with 2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled loaves.
- If using unsalted butter, add an extra ¼ teaspoon of salt to the batter.
Ca I use buttermilk?
Hi Marie,
We haven’t tested it but wouldn’t recommend using buttermilk as its likely to impact the flavor of the bread.
Should the top be hard when it’s done after 50 minutes?
Hi Marie! The top should be solid but not hard. Was it hard all the way through?