This Maine Blueberry Lemon Bread is recipe is sweet and zesty, with juicy wild blueberries and bright lemon flavors. Made with natural sweeteners and sourdough starter, it’s a perfect healthy treat for breakfast, an afternoon snack, or delicious dessert!
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Easy
This easy blueberry bread recipe can be made in just a few simple steps! Combine the wet and dry ingredients, let it ferment at room temperature for a few hours, then fold in the blueberries. Next, add the batter to a prepared loaf pan and bake. Once it’s done baking, let it rest for a few minutes, then enjoy!
Healthy
This lemon blueberry bread is:
Sourdough – this means the antinutrients in the flour is broken down and easier to digest!
Free from processed sugar – instead of sugar, maple syrup is used to add a natural sweetness.
Full of healthy fats and protein – eggs, Greek yogurt, and butter give this blueberry bread lots of healthy fats and protein.
Free from processed oils – this bread is made without unhealthy vegetable oil, but instead uses old-fashioned butter.
Packed with vitamins and antioxidants – wild blueberries are well known for their high levels of antioxidants, and lemon gives this bread a boost in vitamin C!
Delicious
The flavors of juicy blueberries and zesty lemon perfectly compliment each other in this dessert bread, making it a delicious cake-like dessert perfect for summertime! For those with a love for blueberry muffins (like me), this is basically a refreshing lemon blueberry muffin bread! The Greek yogurt and eggs give this bread a pleasantly moist texture, and the blueberries add a wonderful sweet-tartness with each bite! It’s the perfect dessert bread recipe for blueberry season.
Basic Ingredients That Make This Recipe Amazing
Wild Blueberries: sweet and tart, wild blueberries are the star of this easy recipe, giving bursts of flavor with each bite!
Lemon: lemon is a perfect companion for blueberries, adding a refreshing, bright flavor to this blueberry bread.
Yogurt: yogurt gives this bread a delightfully moist texture.
Maple Syrup: maple syrup adds touch of natural sweetness that is not overpowering, allowing for the blueberry and lemon flavors to shine.
Large Eggs: eggs act as a leavening agent in this recipe, adding structure and richness to this bread.
Sourdough Starter: adding sourdough starter and allowing it to ferment for a bit will make this dessert loaf a sourdough bread, making it healthier and easier to digest.
Unsalted Butter: butter adds a creamy richness to this bread recipe.
What Kind of Blueberries to Use?
This recipe works best when using wild blueberries, with their sweet and tart flavors. Wild blueberries are smaller and more flavorful than regular blueberries, as well as higher in antioxidants and fiber! Try to find organic wild blueberries for the healthiest option. Fresh blueberries as well as frozen both work well!
What Kind of Flour to Use?
This recipe can be made with whole wheat or all purpose flour! I used whole grain einkorn wheat flour, but I also love baking with spelt flour.
Can This Recipe be Used to Make Muffins?
Yes! Using muffin cups and a muffin tin, you can easily turn this moist quick bread recipe into a muffin recipe! Simply fill the muffin cups about 3/4 full, place in the center rack of a preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes (at 350 F). Top with turbinado sugar or coconut sugar before baking for a delicious, sweet topping!
How to Serve Maine Lemon Blueberry Bread
This is my favorite quick bread to enjoy slightly chilled! It’s the perfect way to enjoy the bright lemon flavor.
Since this bread is not particularly sweet, you may want to add a lemon glaze, brown sugar, or turbinado sugar topping if you are enjoying it as a sweet treat.
For a muffin-like taste, sprinkle brown sugar or turbinado sugar on top of the batter in the loaf pan before baking.
For a lemony cake-like taste, top the baked and cooled loaf with a vanilla or lemon glaze.
This bread also makes a great addition to breakfast or a satisfying snack by just adding a little butter!
How to Store Maine Lemon Blueberry Bread
Once fully cooled, seal in a freezer bag and store at room temperature for up to 2 days, the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or the freezer for up to 4 months.
Tips and Tricks
If using frozen blueberries, make sure to thaw and drain them before use or the batter may be too much moisture in the batter.
See the notes in the recipe below to adjust for using whole wheat or all purpose flour.
Make sure to cool the butter slightly after melting to avoid killing bacteria in the sourdough starter.
It’s best to add the blueberries and lemon after the batter has fermented.
How to Make Maine Lemon Blueberry Bread
Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to a large bowl and combine well.
Add sourdough starter, maple syrup, eggs, yogurt, and melted and cooled unsalted butter to a medium bowl and combine well.
Add wet ingredients to bowl of flour mixture and combine well until a thick batter forms.
Cover bowl with damp cloth and let ferment at room temperature for 5-6 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Prepare a loaf pan with parchment paper.
Remove cloth from bowl and fold blueberries, lemon juice, and lemon zest into batter.
Pour/scoop batter into prepared pan and spread into an even layer.. Add brown sugar or turbinado sugar on top now, if using.
Place loaf pan in the center rack of the oven.
Bake for about 1 hour, or until the top is slightly golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center.
Remove from oven and carefully transfer loaf to a wire rack. Let bread cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.
This bread can be enjoyed warm, room temperature, or chilled.
Add glaze on top of the loaf once cooled, if using glaze instead of a sugar topping.
Enjoy!
Maine Blueberry Lemon Bread (Easy Sourdough Recipe)
Equipment
- 1 standard loaf pan
- Parchment Paper
- 1 wooden spoon for mixing
- 1 Large Bowl
- 1 medium bowl
- 1 rubber spatula
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 to 2 3/4 cups flour (2 1/4 cups all purpose or 2 3/4 cups whole wheat)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup yogurt
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter/sourdough discard
- Juice and zest of 1 lemon
- 1 cup wild blueberries (if frozen, thawed and drained)
Instructions
- Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to a large bowl and combine well.
- Add sourdough starter, maple syrup, eggs, yogurt, and melted and cooled unsalted butter to a medium bowl and combine well.
- Add wet ingredients to bowl of flour mixture and combine well until a thick batter forms.
- Cover bowl with damp cloth and let ferment at room temperature for 5-6 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Prepare a loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Remove cloth from bowl and fold blueberries, lemon juice, and lemon zest into batter.
- Pour/scoop batter into prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Add brown sugar or turbinado sugar on top now, if using
- Place loaf pan in the center rack of the oven.
- Bake for about 1 hour, or until the top is slightly golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center.
- Remove from oven and carefully transfer loaf to a wire rack. Let bread cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.
- This bread can be enjoyed warm, room temperature, or chilled.
- Add glaze on top of the loaf once cooled, if using glaze instead of a sugar topping.
- Enjoy!
