Okay, so I have a confession. I ripped this recipe out from the Vera Bradley catalog. If you know me, then you know that I am not a fan of the paisley wares Ms. Bradley is pushing. But you order one too many gifts for other people, start getting catalogs and before you know it, somehow it is downright impossible to get off a mailing list. I’ve been reading the catalogs recently because they include recipes. And I am a sucker for a new recipe.
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However, upon doing some googling, this is not a new recipe! The original is from Bon Appetit magazine. Or from The Cake Bible. In true Internet form, there are dozens recipes, all variations on each other, with little or no cites to a source. Sigh.
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So this is my variation on the theme. I added in vanilla, pumped up the lemon zest and increased the lemon juice. Which, according to my research, was not super original. But it does make for a tasty, perfect afternoon snack bread that will brighten your day. And that is really all I want from a recipe – old or new.
Lemon Blueberry Bread Recipe
Adapted from Vera Bradley
Serves 8-12/Makes one loaf
Ingredients
1 and 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (about one lemon)
1/2 cup milk
1 cup fresh blueberries
2 teaspoons flour
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
For the glaze:
1/3 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter (or spray with a non stick vegetable spray) the bottom and sides of a loaf pan (9 x 5 x 3 inch).
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, gently toss blueberries with lemon juice and then flour.
In the bowl of your stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until softened (about 1 minute). Add the sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.
With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture (in three additions) and milk (in two additions) alternately, starting and ending with the flour. Mix only until combined. Gently fold in the blueberries.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 55 to 65 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
When the bread is done, remove from oven. In a small saucepan, bring the 1/3 cup of sugar and the 3 tablespoons of lemon juice to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
Pierce the hot loaf all over with a fork and then pour the hot lemon glaze over the loaf. Cool the loaf in the pan for about 30 minutes then remove from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack. This bread is best served on the day it is made.
