Fall is my most favorite time of year for many reasons. There is nothing more perfect than baking a spicy sweet pumpkin bread, windows open to the cool air, heavenly smells filling my apartment. But it’s May, almost June, and a heavy harvest bread just ain’t gonna cut it.
I needed to bake last night, to be in my kitchen surrounded by measuring cups of flour and sugar and fresh ingredients. I wanted something that would mimic my autumn scene (minus the season’s flavors) and landed on lemon. Lemon and blueberry. I searched for inspiration and found a recipe here, subbing sour cream for yogurt to go for extra indulgence.
It worked! My kitchen smelled like summer and something in me felt complete again as I licked the spatula clean of lemony sugary batter.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (+another tablespoon to roll with blueberries)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
zest from 2 lemons
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
1-2 cups of fresh blueberries, rinsed
Ingredients for toppings:
1/3 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice (juice from 2 lemons)
1/4 cup of granulated sugar
3 tablespoons of confectioners’ sugar
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt) in a large bowl. Set aside.
In a separate bowl combine sugar, eggs, lemon zest, vanilla, sour cream, and oil. Whisk the ingredients rapidly, either manually or with an electric whisk, until fully combined.
Add the dry ingredients in slowly, continuing to whisk the batter until all of the dry ingredients have dissolved and the batter is the consistency of yogurt.
In a small bowl, toss the blueberries with a tablespoon of flour until evenly coated.
Slowly fold them into the batter being careful not to smash them.
Spray a medium loaf pan (9×5 inch) with nonstick spray.
Carefully pour in batter and place in oven at 350 degrees. Bake for 25-40 minutes or until the top is golden; use a toothpick to test the inside, only removing from the oven when the toothpick emerges without batter.
Allow bread to fully cool either in loaf pan or on a wire rack. In the meantime, pour the lemon juice and granulated sugar into a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved and the liquid begins to boil.
Using a toothpick, poke small holes around the loaf and use a spoon or a brush to evenly distribute the lemon syrup over the loaf.
Once the syrup has been absorbed, top with a few tablespoons of confectioners’ sugar and serve!
