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Lemon zest, freshly squeezed lemon juice, blueberries, vanilla - what's not to love, especially in the Summer! This blueberry lemon bread recipe with lemon glaze combines all these delicious ingredients to produce the ultimate breakfast, brunch, and dessert recipe good for all year around.
Tips and tricks for making perfect lemon bread
- Use 8x4 inch loaf pan.
- Use parchment paper. Line the bottom and two sides of the pan with the parchment paper. This will ensure that your lemon bread will not fall apart when you take it out of the baking pan.
- Use 2 separate bowls for combining dry and wet ingredients. Combine dry ingredients in one bowl. Combine wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Only then, combine the two together.
- Toss blueberries with flour (2 tablespoons) before adding them to the batter. This will help prevent blueberries from sinking.
- Do not overmix. Overmixing will allow gluten to develop more than you want and your bread will be tough and rubbery. For soft and fluffy texture - do not overmix the batter.
- Cool the lemon bread before glazing. Drizzle the top of the bread with the glaze only after the bread has been completely cooled. Otherwise your glaze will be too runny.
Blueberries
- Use fresh or frozen blueberries. You don't have to thaw frozen blueberries, just use them as is.
- Coat blueberries with 2 tablespoons of flour. This will prevent the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the breading during baking.
The glaze is made from freshly squeezed lemon juice and powdered sugar. There is just enough glaze to cover the top of the lemon bread with a drizzle and not to overwhelm the overall flavor of this dessert! The slice (or two, or three) of this blueberry lemon bread is lovely early in the morning with a hot cup of coffee or tea.
Storing and freezing lemon bread
- Keep lemon bread refrigerated. It keeps fresher and longer this way, plus the glaze keeps better, too. You can refrigerate the blueberry lemon bread after it's completely cooled. To properly store the bread, cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- Freezing lemon bread. This lemon bread freezes well. Place it in a large plastic bag and seal air-tight. You can also wrap it really tightly with a plastic wrap. Then
After you bake the bread, cool it completely before drizzling with lemon glaze. Also, make sure the bread is completely cool before you refrigerate it. Enjoy!
Related dessert recipes with berries
Blueberry vanilla bread with lemon glaze
Ingredients
Blueberry Lemon Bread
- ⅓ cup butter melted
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup milk
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest grated
- 1 cup blueberries fresh or frozen
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Lemon Glaze
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed
- ½ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Butter an 8x4 inch loaf pan, line the bottom and two sides of the pan with the parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, beat together butter, 1 cup sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt; stir into egg mixture alternately with milk.
- In the same bowl where you combined flour, add blueberries and toss them in 2 tablespoons of flour. This will help prevent blueberries from sinking.
- Fold in lemon zest, and blueberries into the batter. Do it carefully and fast. Pour the lemon bread batter into prepared pan.
- Bake in preheated oven for about 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool bread in pan for 40 minutes on a wire rack. Release the bread from the pan.
Lemon glaze:
- Combine freshly squeezed lemon juice and ½ cup powdered sugar in a small bowl and beat, using electrical mixer, until smooth glaze forms .
- Drizzle the top of the blueberry lemon bread (after it's been completely cooled) with the glaze. Some of the glaze will go down the sides of the bread.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
I made this 2 days ago and family loved it so much had to make 2 more. Thank you so very much Julia!
Paulett, mind if I ask, did you use a 4x8 pan, or something smaller/larger?
Paulett, you are very welcome! Thank you for such a positive comment! ❤️
I made this today and this is now my go to recipe! So delicious!
Denise, I am so flattered by your comment - thank you! 🙂
I only have a 9.25 x 5.25 x 2.75in loaf pan. How would I alter this recipe for a pan this size? Can’t wait to try it.. sounds sooo yummy!
Shelley, since your pan (9.25 x 5.25 x 2.75) is slightly larger than the pan I used (8 x 4), you don't need to change anything in the recipe - use it as is. The only difference would be that your loaf will be flatter on top than mine but it's not a big deal. It's better to underfill the pan (the case here!) than overfill it (not the case with the pan size you mentioned!). Enjoy! 🙂
8x4 pan contains 32 square inches of pan size ...
9.25 x 5.25 contains 48.6 square inches
That is a 50% difference ...
why I keep asking where to buy a true 4x8 pan 🙂
So delicious!!
Kayla, thank you! 🙂
I took it fresh to a small dinner party for dessert but we couldn’t wait and kept munching while waiting for dinner. Dessert before dinner because life is short…delicious!!!
Karin, your comment made me smile! 🙂 Thank you for sharing your positivity with me! ❤️
Awesome recipe. Very delicious
Thank you so much! 🙂
Super easy. I can’t wait to try it once it’s out of the oven, cooled and iced. Just that it’s been in the oven for over 70 min and it’s still wet in the middle
April, all ovens are different and that might be the case here. If the cake takes longer to bake, I would bake it on the middle rack and cover it with foil.
Really good recipe; my family loved it. When I went to make the glaze I realized I had no lemons (or juice) so I used a spoonful of the concentrated orange juice (the frozen stuff). It was really nice and added a sweet, tangy taste. Thank you for the recipe!
- Tammy
Tammy, using orange juice in a glaze sounds so yummy! Thank you for taking the time to share this feedback and the 5-star review! 🙂
I made this the first time as a gift. Maybe that was brave, but it turned out to be beautiful. I may have doubled the recipe because we had a loaf for us, too. It was delicious! The only change I made was to add a small amount of vanilla extract to the glaze. Thank you for this wonderful recipe. It’s a keeper!
Mary, thank you for such a positive comment - I really appreciate it! 🙂 Adding vanilla to the glaze sounds so good!
I made these today. I made muffins with a double batch. I ended up with 12 large muffins, 3 1/2in . They puffed over. I'll know next time to put a little over 2/3 full an get more large muffins. I baked approx 35 min. Very good. Thx.
Theresa, thank you for this feedback! Making these as muffins sounds delish! 🙂
This is a deliciously lemony, blueberry, perfectly-sweet bread.
I made two changes. I added and cut the lemon zest into the sugar with a fork. The lemon sugar ensures that the lemon flavor is evenly-distributed throughout the bread. Instead of milk, I added a 1/2 of Greek yogurt to the wet ingredients.
Kim, I love-love your changes! I often use Greek yogurt in my baking, so I know it's a great add-in!
The best blueberry loaf I ever made!
Theresa, I am so happy you loved it! 🙂
One of my favorite recipes now, so glad I found it, taking it to work for Christmas favorites tomorrow.
Patricia, I am so very happy you love this recipe! 🙂 Thank you for this positive feedback and Happy Holidays! 🙂
Hi, Just wanted to say I found this recipe last year and have come back countless times to remake it. It has become one of my family's favorite things to make over and over and never fails to turn out perfectly. Thanks for the recipe!
Jennifer, thank you so much for such a generous comment - I am really flattered! 🙂 Glad this recipe has become a family favorite!
I absolutely love this recipe. So easy for a non-baker such as myself. I knew that blueberry and lemon went well together, but the addition of the vanilla makes it even better. I have made this several times and will continue to do so. Thank you!
Thank you so much for such a positive comment! I really appreciate it! 🙂
Wonderful! Didn't add the lemon sauce as I was out of powdered sugar but will try next time. Looking forward to making it again.
Laura, thank you for trying this recipe and so happy you loved it! 🙂
Excellent blueberry lemon bread!! I have made it at least a dozen times now as it has become a family favorite... Thank you 🙂
Nana, thank you so much for such a positive comment - it made my day so much better!
This lemon blueberry bread was excellent! I will be making it often!!
Debbie, I am so glad you think this recipe is worth repeating! It makes my day!
In this recipe it says 2T all-purpose flour. I’m sure you must have meant 2 Cups.
Barbara, the flour is mentioned twice in the ingredients list. Higher up the ingredients list, you will see the 1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour. 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour are mentioned separately because they are used for tossing with the fresh blueberries (to prevent them from sinking in the batter).
If you use a 9x 5 pan will it just be shorter?
Probably. I would also watch baking times as it might bake faster in a bigger loaf pan.
Can you freeze the bread after baking?
Yes, you can. Make sure it cools off before freezing.
Is there any lemon juice in the batter or only lemon zest?
There is only lemon zest in the batter, and the lemon juice is only in the glaze.