Adapted from this blueberry muffins recipe, this blueberry muffin bread is soft, moist, and loaded with blueberries. Since there’s no individual muffins, this muffin batter goes from the mixing bowl to the oven in minutes. Though this quick bread is outstanding on its own, a swirl of blueberry jam and sprinkle of crumble topping create an outstanding crust.
I’m always on the lookout for quick and easy recipes that double as breakfast and snack. Banana bread, morning glory muffins, and zucchini bread are my usual defaults, but in an effort to break out of routine, blueberry muffin bread is now in the line-up.
What is Blueberry Muffin Bread?
Glad you asked. Blueberry muffin bread is exactly what it sounds like… blueberry muffins baked as bread. This is a quick bread recipe, so there’s no yeast required. Blueberry muffin bread is soft, moist, and completely overloaded with blueberries. Enjoy it warm from the oven or straight out of the refrigerator. It also freezes beautifully!
Blueberry Muffins in a Loaf Pan
Any muffin recipe yielding around 12 standard size muffins doubles as a quick bread recipe. Today we’re using my blueberry muffins, which is actually my master muffin recipe. This particular muffin batter creates 1,000s of muffin varieties including cranberry muffins, peach muffins, and apple cinnamon muffins. For the muffin bread, I added a little more flour to ensure this was a nice big loaf.
Now we can create plenty of quick bread recipes too! For example, swap blueberries for chocolate chips and you have an easy chocolate chip quick bread.
Blueberry Muffin Bread Ingredients
Like pound cake and biscuits, blueberry muffin bread is another example of how extremely basic ingredients easily transform into an absolutely delicious recipe.
- Butter: Butter is the base and produces a soft cakey crumb. If desired, swap with solid coconut oil.
- Sugar: Use a mix of granulated and brown sugar for flavor. A dry unrefined sugar, such as coconut sugar, works too. I don’t recommend a liquid sweetener.
- Eggs: 2 eggs work their magic providing structure and overall richness.
- Sour Cream or Yogurt: Plain low fat or full fat sour cream or yogurt add exceptional moisture, as well as the necessary acid for the baking soda.
- Vanilla & Salt: Flavor flavor flavor.
- Flour: All-purpose flour is the workhorse of quick breads like apple cinnamon bread and zucchini bread. I don’t typically bake with gluten free flours, but let me know if you try any that work.
- Leaveners: Both baking soda and baking powder add necessary lift. Remember the differences in baking powder vs baking soda and why we use both in some recipes?
- Milk: The blueberry muffin bread would be flat and heavy without milk.
2 Optional Extras!
The blueberry muffin bread is completely awesome on its own. But if you want to take things up a notch, add one or both:
- Blueberry Jam: Swirl 2 Tablespoons of blueberry jam into the batter.
- Crumble Topping: Simply combine all-purpose flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter. Sprinkle on top before baking.
The pictured bread includes both. See my recipe notes for detailed instructions.
Blueberry Muffin Bread
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 1 loaf
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Adapted from my favorite Blueberry Muffins, this blueberry muffin bread is soft, moist, and loaded with blueberries. Since there’s no individual muffins, this muffin batter goes from the mixing bowl to the oven in minutes. Though this quick bread is outstanding on its own, a swirl of blueberry jam and sprinkle of crumble topping create an outstanding crust.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (50g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120g) sour cream, at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup (80ml) milk, at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 cups (210g) fresh blueberries*
- optional: 2 Tablespoons blueberry jam and/or crumb topping (see recipe note)
Instructions
- Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position and preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan or coat with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. On medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the sour cream and vanilla extract on medium speed until combined. With the mixer running on low speed, add the dry ingredients and milk into the wet ingredients and beat until no flour pockets remain. Fold in the blueberries.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared baking pan. See note if adding streusel or blueberry jam swirl. Bake for 60-65 minutes, loosely covering the bread with aluminum foil at the 30 minute mark to help prevent the top and sides from getting too brown. A toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf will come out clean when the bread is done. Remove from the oven and allow the bread to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack.
- Cover and store bread at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Cool baked muffin bread completely. Tightly wrap the loaf or slices (individually or grouped) in 2 layers of plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Place wrapped bread in a large freezer-friendly storage bag or reusable container. Freeze for up to 3-4 months. Thaw wrapped or unwrapped in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | 9×5-inch Loaf Pan | Cooling Rack
- Sour Cream: Plain yogurt is a great substitute for sour cream. Unsweetened applesauce or mashed banana may also be used.
- Blueberries: Fresh blueberries are best. I do not suggest frozen blueberries. If you need to use them, do not thaw, add another 2 Tablespoons of flour to the dry ingredients, and extend the bake time.
- Why is everything at room temperature? All refrigerated items should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly. See my post on the importance of room temperature ingredients for more information.
- Blueberry Jam or Crumble Topping: If desired, swirl 2 Tablespoons blueberry jam (or any flavor) into the top of the loaf before baking. A crumble topping adds a lovely crunch. Simply combine 1/4 cup (31g) all-purpose flour, 2 Tablespoons brown sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, then using a fork, mix in 2 Tablespoons melted unsalted butter until crumbles form. Sprinkle over loaf before baking.
- Adapted from Blueberry Muffins with a *little* extra flour and milk to produce a nice large loaf.
This bread is AMAZING! Made two loaves and finished the first in one sitting 🙂
I made this to bring jn to my co-wirkers and it was s big hit! So moist anx yummy! I made the struesal on top and sprinkles some powdered as well. My blueberries sank a little even though I tossed them in flour but i think it was because I tapped the pan to even out the batter. No matter! It was still delicious and I’ll definitely make it again!
Ah, Sally! I am fairly new to your blog and I am hooked. 🙂 This blueberry bread is the best ever. My family absolutely loves it. Thanks for your great site!
Absolutely delicious bread! Super quick and easy to make. I couldn’t wait for it to cool to take out of the pan, so I cut the end off so I could try it…Yum! I did the jam and streusel on top too. I will definitely make this again!
This is the best blueberry bread I’ve tried! Used vanilla Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream and it turned out great. My family loved this!
Hi Sally. I made this recipe yesterday and followed it exactly but my blueberries sunk to the bottom. I used frozen blueberries, is tis why? Not sure what want wrong. Still tasted amazing.
Hi Fiona! Apologies, I’m just seeing this question now. Tossing the blueberries in a little flour helps prevent them from sinking. Are you using frozen? They are more prone to sinking since they are heavier.
Yummm Sally, this is the perfect recipe for the blueberries I have. I’m thinking about making this a cheesecake blueberry bread with a layer of cheesecake in the middle, like your strawberry cheesecake muffins. What do you think?
I think that would be delicious! It’s a pretty thick batter so it should hold up the layer in the center!
I made the Blueberry Muffin Bread, very moist and delicious.
thank you
Hi! I was wondering if you think lemon juice and/or lemon zest would be a good addition in this bread? And if so, how much would you recommend? Thank you!
Definitely! The zest from 1 lemon should be great and I recommend adding 2 Tablespoons lemon juice. Make sure you remove 2 Tablespoons of milk to make up for the lemon juice.
Hi Sally,
I make so many of your recipes and I don’t know if I have ever commented or reviewed a recipe. I made this blueberry bread twice this week already and it is delicious! I made it once for my husband and myself and once for friends. It is super moist, just the right amount of sweet and has a lovely texture with the blueberries and crumble. Thank you for always putting out such quality recipes that are easy to follow and always turn out well. Thanks, again!
Made this today and added sugar in the raw as a topping. Excellent – tender crumb and full of flavor. Another winner Sally! Thanks.
Made this today doing the apple cinnamon version you mentiond, I didn’t do the streusel but addded about a 1/3 cup of cinnamon chips to the batter. It was delicious. Everyone loved it. My husband even had the idea to turn it into French toast. Maybe tomorrow thanks again for another great recipe. Have a great weekend.
You said – ‘Trust me, you’re going to be VERY HAPPY about it’. And I really am. I loved the texture: moist , crumbly, not too sweet. I substituted blueberries with frozen raspberries. I’ve got a trick that has to do with fruits colouring the batter. I pour the third of a batter then put frozen berries of your choice, then pour the third part again and cover with berries and so on. This way I have three layers of batter and three layers of berries. Layers are mixed while baking. But the result is fabulous – batter is yellow as supposed to be
Delicious with a cup of steaming hot coffee or tall glass of cold milk. The bread overflows with delicious blueberries. I used blueberries I froze last spring from our garden. We love this bread.
This bread is dangerously delicious! I am curious though…most quick breads utilize the muffin mixing method , but for this recipe you have chosen the creaming method that is commonly used for cakes. Do you see a benefit to the creaming method for quick breads or is it just a preference?
Hi Matt! A lot of muffin recipes cream butter and sugar together too! It depends on the recipe. This muffin bread is adapted from my soft and cakey style blueberry muffins, a texture achieved from the creaming process. For denser blueberry muffins/muffin bread, try my sparkling blueberry muffins. 🙂
I made this bread the day you posted it and it was delicious!! I still have extra blueberries so I’m making another today.
This was spectacular! Recipe made as stated. No additions! My grandsons were sneaking crumbs from the loaf as was I.
I use an old baking pan from my grandmother that yields smaller but more slices. Great addition Sally
Hi Sally! I’m a huge fan of all of your recipes, including this one! However, I did have a problem with my blueberries and streusel sinking to the bottom. I made sure to measure correctly, and ended up with a batter I thought was perfectly thick. Any insight on what could have made this happen would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
I made this today. I followed the recipe exactly. The only additions I made were to squeeze fresh lemon juice..about 2-3 tablespoons and I put blueberry preserves in the middle and swirled some on the top. It cooked at 350 degrees for well over an hour and I did cover it with foil at about 45 minutes. It is the best blueberry bread I have ever made! And I have made many
I made this last night, added in the zest of one lemon and used 1/4 cup milk and 1/4 cup lemon juice, and WOW is this good. Like “made my husband take it to work so I would stop eating it” good. I took the end slice (because crusts are my favorite part of almost any baked good) and I was NOT disappointed. Anyone reading these reviews, stop what you’re doing and go make this!
I made this bread today and it’s fantastic! Thanks Sally!
Thank you for this recipe, my grandchildren loved it. The article mentioned that you could use peaches. I’m assuming diced, fresh peaches? Is there any changes that need to be made. Thank you
Thank you
Hi Terry! Yes, peeled and diced fresh or frozen peaches.
I made this today, and while it’s delicious all my blueberries sank to the bottom. Any idea as to why that happened? I used frozen blueberries. I didn’t coat them in flour, since that usually doesn’t work with the condensation that appears on frozen fruit as soon as you take it out of the freezer, but the recipe didn’t say to coat them in flour either.
Otherwise this bread is really good though. The texture is just like a muffin, light and airy and super moist. I love it!
Hi Tessa! Thanks so much for trying my blueberry muffin bread recipe. Was your batter super thick? The thicker the batter, the less likely the berries will sink. This batter should be relatively thick. You can try coating them in flour if you decide to try the recipe again.
Could I bake this in a 9×13 and make bars?
Hi Megan! Yes, definitely. I’m unsure of the bake time.
I made this bread today. It is FANTASTIC!! I forgot to cover it 30 minutes in and it still turned out moist and delicious.
My 11 year old daughter and I just finished putting together this bread. It’s baking in the oven now and looks delicious. Can’t wait to taste it!
The bread is currently in the oven. After 30 min though, I noticed the crumb on top is gone. It sank it or the bread rose above it. Weird. Any idea why this happened? I’d like to prevent it next time.
Hi Sally! Looks yummy! May I use almond milk instead of milk? Or will that mess up the flavor/texture/etc???
Hi Sherry! Any milk, dairy or nondairy, works! I often make the blueberry muffins with almond milk.
Just tried it at home and must say this muffin bread won everyone’s heart. Thanks for sharing such recipes.
WOW this blueberry muffins bread looks so delicious and perfect for brunch!