Lemon Blueberry Bread Cinnamon (Print Version)
Moist loaf bursting with blueberries and lemon, topped with crunchy cinnamon streusel.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Lemon Blueberry Bread
01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 teaspoon baking powder
03 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
04 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
05 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
06 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
07 - 2 large eggs
08 - 1/2 cup whole milk
09 - 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
10 - 2 tablespoons lemon zest
11 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 - 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (do not thaw if frozen)
→ Cinnamon Streusel Topping
13 - 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
14 - 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
15 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
16 - 1/8 teaspoon salt
17 - 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
# Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line a 9x5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
02 - In a small bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add cold butter and blend with a pastry cutter or fingers until crumbly. Refrigerate until needed.
03 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
04 - In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
05 - Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
06 - Mix in milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract until fully combined.
07 - Gradually add dry mix to wet ingredients, stirring just until combined to avoid overmixing.
08 - Gently fold blueberries into the batter using a spatula.
09 - Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and smooth the surface. Evenly sprinkle the streusel topping over the batter.
10 - Bake for 50–60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
11 - Allow bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- It's foolproof enough for a weeknight but fancy enough to share with guests—no one suspects how simple it really is.
- The streusel adds that buttery crunch that makes people close their eyes on the first bite.
- You can use frozen blueberries straight from the bag, which means you're never without the excuse to bake this.
02 -
- Frozen blueberries are your friend if you coat them in a tablespoon of flour before folding them in; they'll stay intact and not turn the whole loaf purple.
- Don't thaw frozen berries—they release too much water and the bread becomes soggy instead of moist.
- Overmixing the batter is the most common mistake; mix until just combined and trust that the batter will smooth out in the oven.
03 -
- If your blueberries are especially large or juicy, use just slightly less milk to prevent the batter from becoming too wet—the berries will release their own liquid as they bake.
- For a more tender crumb, use cake flour instead of all-purpose, reducing it slightly to 1 3/4 cups since cake flour is more finely milled.