Lemon Blueberry Quick Bread

It seems like lazy weekend mornings don’t happen a lot in our busy house but when they do I try to enjoy every minute of them. One of the things that I like to do is to fill the house with the delicious smell of baking and coax my family out of their beds with warm goodies fresh from the oven.

Lemon Blueberry Quick Bread is an easy recipe to throw together. Fresh blueberries bursting with flavor and just the right hint of lemon to brighten it up make this a welcome wake up call or a great snack any time of day!

Begin by preheating the oven to 375 degrees F. Generously grease a glass or metal loaf pan and set it aside. A metal loaf pan will typically result in the outside of the loaf being darker than a glass loaf pan will.

Using a microplane or other zester, zest a medium lemon and then juice the same lemon. Set both aside. Having this step done now saves so much time later.

In the bowl of a stand mixer combine melted butter, sugar, lemon juice and eggs.

In a small bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Slowly add 1/2 of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, mixing until well combined.

Blend milk in to mixture and then finish mixing in the remaining flour mixture. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl so all of the flour gets incorporated.

Fold in the reserved lemon zest and blueberries. The blueberries can be frozen or fresh. If using frozen, don’t thaw them out first. There will be less discoloration of the batter if you toss them in frozen. When I make this, I usually have fresh blueberries. You can toss them in a bit of flour before folding them into the batter and this step is especially important if you are not going to cook the bread right away. The flour should keep the berries from sinking to the bottom. I found the step unnecessary when making this bread because when I make it I put it immediately into the preheated oven.

Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 375 degrees F for about an hour, checking to be sure that it is cooked sufficiently by inserting a toothpick into the center. If the toothpick comes out clean, it is done.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before removing from loaf pan. I have found that if I take it out too early, it sometimes falls apart. It still tastes good, it just looks like a disaster. Take my advice and let it rest for the full 30 minutes. Then slice, serve and enjoy!