Many years ago, my grandparents built their dream home down the Blueberry Lake Road in Ely. Lemon blueberry bread was one of the treats my grandmother enjoyed making, as lemon was my grandfather’s favorite, and they usually had enough frozen or canned berries to last all year. My grandmother baked her bread in tiny loaf pans, but I just bake it as one large loaf for ease. You could also use mini Easter egg cake molds or muffin tins. While the original bread was only topped with a lemon glaze, I decided to add a blueberry glaze for extra springtime color and flavor.
Lemon Blueberry Lake Road Bread
Ingredients:
Bread:
1 cup sour cream
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh or frozen wild blueberries
Lemon Glaze:
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 tablespoon warm lemon juice
2-3 drops of natural yellow food coloring such as Watkins or a pinch of saffron or turmeric
Blueberry Glaze:
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 tablespoon warm blueberry juice
Instructions:
Bread:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, stir together the sour cream, sugar, zest, juice, vanilla, oil, and eggs. In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir the flour mixture into the sour cream mixture until combined. Fold in the blueberries. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Pour in the batter and bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, tenting with foil in the last 20 minutes. Cool completely in the pan, then remove to a cutting board. Top with the glazes. Let stand until set, then slice.
Yield: 12 servings.
Lemon Glaze:
In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients until smooth. Spoon into a pastry bag and drizzle over the bread.
Blueberry Glaze:
In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients until smooth. Spoon into a pastry bag and drizzle over the bread.
Notes:
To make blueberry juice, I mash a handful of berries in a small saucepan with a splash of water. Bring the mixture to a boil. Let cool slightly, then strain through a metal fine mesh sieve. Boiling the berries makes the juice darker than juicing fresh berries. I recommend using warm juice, as cold juice will cause the butter to firm up, making the glaze too thick for drizzling.
