It’s been particularly rainy, cold, and windy here in the Bay Area. Normally this doesn’t bother me, as I love fall and winter and relish in this weather. However, this year I wouldn’t mind speeding up the process a bit as the thought of spring and summer sound exceptionally wonderful.

One night earlier this week, Chris came home and I came undone: I was exhausted.  It is time for summer, sunshine and a long break, I told him. The next morning my mom’s group was meeting and I was determined to bring something: I may not be able to control the weather, if my children are sick, how many more loads of laundry we have left, the TRAFFIC – oh man, the traffic is so terrible around here that it’s soul crushing…. but I can make a pretty great Lemon Blueberry Bread to turn my mood right side up again, and that alone is something worth celebrating.  I pulled out the last few lemons our sweet neighbor gave us a few weeks back at the start of February (whose lemon tree produces 20+ pounds of lemons in the dead of winter!?) and the pack of blueberries I’d randomly bought at the store last weekend and set to work.

Recipe originally from Home Baked Comfort by Kim Laidlaw

INGREDIENTS:

For the Bread:

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp grated lemon zest
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2  cup whole milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

For the Syrup:

• 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 3 tbsp granulated sugar

For the Glaze:

• 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
• 3 tsp fresh lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
2. In a bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. In your stand mixer or large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and lemon zest on medium-high speed until light and soft. About 3 minutes.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time until fully incorporated.
5. Add the milk and vanilla extract, and mix fully together.
6. Slowly add the dry ingredients, and stir until just blended. Fold in the blueberries.
7. Scrape into the loaf pan, and place in oven. Bake for about 50 minutes – I check it around 45 minutes and take it out around 50-51 minutes, when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Take it out of the oven, let it cool and then turn onto a plate.
9. While the bread is in the oven, make the syrup:
10. 1. In a small saucepan, boil the lemon juice and granulated sugar over medium heat until syrupy.  It will bubble up and get syrupy after about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.
11. 1. Using a wooden skewer (or toothpick), pierce the top, sides, and bottom of the bread.  Brush, or I typically pour, the syrup all over the bread. It’ll ooze into the pierced parts and be amazing, I promise.
12. Make the glaze: in a small bowl, stir the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice. Drizzle over the top of the bread once it’s completely cool.

NOTES:

• The recipe states to toss the blueberries in a small bowl with a teaspoon of flour  before folding into the batter.  The idea is that this prevents the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the loaf pan while it’s baking. I don’t do this.  I’ve done it a couple of times and found that: (1) it doesn’t serve it’s purpose and (2) it’s more work and clean up.

Cheers!