Lemon Blueberry Bread

Total Time

Prep: 15 min. Bake: 1 hour + cooling

Makes

1 loaf (16 pieces)

Updated: Oct. 23, 2023
Of all the quick breads we had growing up, this beautiful lemon blueberry bread is the best! The citrus glaze adds a lustrous finish and locks in moisture. —Julianne Johnson, Grove City, Minnesota

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup butter, melted
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup 2% milk
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
  • 1/2 cup chopped nuts
  • 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
  • GLAZE:
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup sugar

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, lemon juice and eggs. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; stir into egg mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Fold in the blueberries, nuts and lemon zest.
  2. Transfer to a greased 8x4-in. loaf pan. Bake at 350° for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.
  3. Combine glaze ingredients; drizzle over warm bread. Cool completely.

Lemon Blueberry Bread Tips

How do you keep this moist?

To keep this lemon blueberry bread moist, avoid using low-fat milk; stick to 2% or whole milk. Also, bring the eggs to room temperature before using. The glaze applied after baking will absorb into the warm bread, providing even more moisture. When cool, store the bread in an airtight container to keep prevent it from drying out. Be sure to follow these bread storage tips, too.

Any tips to prevent the edges of the bread from overcooking?

Breads typically bake from the outside in. If you notice during baking that the edges of your bread are browning quickly, tent the bread with a piece of aluminum foil. You might also want to bake your lemon blueberry bread either in a glass or light-colored metal pan as opposed to a dark metal pan, which absorbs more heat. Read more about baking in dark pans.

How can I make variations to this bread?

This quick bread is wonderfully versatile when it comes to varying the flavors and ingredients because of its lemon base (make sure you're juicing lemons the easy way!). For a delicious lemon raspberry bread, swap out raspberries for the blueberries. Turn this into an orange cranberry bread by using orange juice and cranberries. Cherries and almonds also pair beautifully with either lemon or orange.

Nutrition Facts

1 piece: 181 calories, 7g fat (3g saturated fat), 38mg cholesterol, 149mg sodium, 27g carbohydrate (17g sugars, 1g fiber), 3g protein.