Lemon Blueberry Loaf
An easy recipe for a lemon blueberry loaf.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- zest of one lemon
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1 tbsp flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Lightly spray a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray or grease with butter. Make sure to get the corners of the pan.
- Begin by zesting one lemon. You can use a zester or, as I did this time, peel off the lemon zest with a vegetable peeler. Be careful not to get the white part on the zest since it is very bitter.
- Cut the zest into thin strips and set it aside. You want to have the tiny strips like in the photo.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the flour and baking soda.
- Cut the butter into one tablespoon pieces and melt them. I did this in heatproof dish in the microwave for about 40 seconds.
- Pour the butter into a large bowl.
- Add the sugar to the butter and mix thoroughly.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each one.
- Add the vanilla, the lemon juice, and the lemon zest and combine.
- Add the flour and the milk, alternating them. I start with the flour, mix, milk, mix, flour, mix, milk, mix.
- Toss the blueberries in a small bowl with one tablespoon of flour. I use my hands.
- Add the blueberries to the batter and mix until combined. Don't over mix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and let bake for about an hour. It is done when it is golden and when a knife or skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Let cool in the pan for about fifteen minutes, then let it cool completely on a wire rack. It has to be completely cooled before cutting. I never do this, but it's a good idea!
Notes
Tips:
Just a quick baking tip for working with eggs. It is better to crack your eggs into a cup one at a time than to put them directly in the batter. First, if you get some shell in there, you can remove it. Also, if the egg is bad (I had that happen once!) you will be able to dump it and not ruin your batter.
Remember to avoid using the white part of the lemon just under the zest. It is very bitter and unpleasant!