Lemon Blueberry Zucchini Bread
I’m just going to put it out there, the word “moist” does not have a big following. But in a bread, loaded with freshly picked (I picked mine but hey picking a carton out at the grocery store counts too) blueberries, the zing of lemon, and a superhero ingredient of zucchini, this bread is so good, sweet and tart and yes, moist.
When you add zucchini to anything, even if you squeeze the liquid out before hand, it still adds to the texture of a bread. I shred mine on a box grater (actually it is a six-sided grater – so a hexagon grater) on the fine shred side. You can do this and pop it in the freezer or the refrigerator before hand. I give the shredded zucchini a squeeze to remove extra liquid but don’t make a big deal out of it. (There is no wringing it out in a towel or setting out overnight). Because I use a finer shred, not only is it barely detectable, the bread maintains the integrity of being lemony and blueberry without looking or tasting like a zucchini bread.
This recipe calls for two key ingredients that you can find in abundance right now where I live. The first round of berries (bigger and sweeter) are ready, and everybody who has a garden with squash has one or two or ten extra to give away. So bake it up into a bread and put some glaze on it.
The bread uses lemon extract as well as the punch of zest. I go overboard on the blueberries because that’s how I roll, but you can certainly reduce the berries, use vanilla extract, and switch up the oil as well. I used a mixture of vegetable oil and greek style yogurt (I like what it adds to the texture of the bread). I used Siggis Vanilla yogurt, but if I had Lemon flavored yogurt on hand I would have used that, or plain-no flavor yogurt.
If I am going to cave for a sweet at my local coffee shop, it will be for the glazed lemon loaf. It better taste like lemon. Not yellow bread. So, I will be heavy-handed in the zest. You will find it in the bread as well as the glaze.
The glaze…oh you sweet lemony goodness. Glaze is temperamental in the fact that you don’t want a mouthful of sugar. You want balance of sweet and tart. You want it to not be sticky and gross all over your bread. It’s not frosting. So, you play with it. If it needs more lemon juice or heavy cream, add it. Ideally, you want it loose enough to spoon into a plastic baggie, snip the end off, and drizzle. It will firm up after a bit and maintain it’s pretty design on the top of your bread.
In a world where I can not only be productive and useful, utilizing berries I picked and fresh zucchini from the farm stand, I want a little sweet. A bread with the tart of lemon, the jewel-like blueberries, which visually and taste wise are remarkable, and the ninja like skills of hidden zucchini will get my vote every time.
I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always, thank you for coming to the table!
Chrissy
Click below for a printable recipe!
PrintLemon Blueberry Zucchini Bread
This deliciously moist bread combines the flavors of lemon, blueberry, with finely shredded zucchini to combine the flavors of the season. Recipe yields two loaves, or one large loaf and three smaller loaves of bread.
Ingredients
- 2/3 Cup Vegetable Oil
- 1 container (5.3 ounce) Greek Style Yogurt
- 3 Eggs
- 3 Cups AP Flour
- 2 1/4 Cup White Sugar
- 2 Cups Finely Grated Zucchini
- 2 Teaspoons Lemon Extract
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Zest of one Lemon (OK- I use three lemons but it is because that is my thing)
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
- 4 Cups Blueberries
Lemon Glaze:
- 1 Cup Powdered Sugar
- Zest of 1/2 Lemon
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 1 Tablespoon Whipping Cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350*
- Prepare either 2 loaf pans or four small loaf pans with cooking spray or oil.
- In a mixer with a paddle attachment, combine oil, yogurt, and sugar.
- Add eggs and combine.
- Add zuchinni, extracts, zest, flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda until combined.
- Fold in blueberries.
- Pour batter into prepared pans.
- Bake for 50 Minutes.
Now, the variables…you could mix up the cheese, add different spices (think smoked paprika, chili powder, dill, you see where I am going with this).
My mom has this gift, where she makes all of her cookies exactly the same size and shape. It’s one of her many talents. For this recipe, I really did try to strive for the same effect, so I scooped the dough, then rolled them in my hands before putting them on parchment lined baking sheets. I was close to Momma perfection. Ok, true story, we ate the ones that didn’t conform. The rule in my house is any ugly cookies are up for dibs. At least eating these we felt a little less guilty!
When you go to Mimi’s house, not only do you get to swim, and throw the ball to Lexus (The Super Golden Doodle), and sit next to your best friend since forever; you also get trade secrets and recipes and all things magical that are in essence, Mimi. Oh, and she makes Zucchini Boats for supper and you are staying.
