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 orange 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.
Enjoying your slices with a swipe of homemade honey butter is fantastic here, too!
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
- 2/3 cup (135g) 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.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I baked this bread 2 days ago, and it is better today than when it came out of the oven! I did substitute 1 cup of the all purpose flour for 1 cup of whole wheat flour, forgetting to sift the ww flour. I also used 1 cup fresh blueberries and 1 cup frozen blueberries, because that was what I had on hand. I mixed the berries with 2 tablespoons all purpose flour before adding to batter. The bread came out a bit heavy, because of the unsifted ww flour, but my daughter loved it. Today, the bread is absolutely sublime. I will make it again, and exactly the same way. When a baking recipe tastes better 2 days after making it, instead of just getting stale, I regard it as a superior recipe and add it to my kitchen binders.
Just made this last night and it was delicious. It’s so moist with good flavor.
This Muffin bread came out fabulous. I used yogurt instead of sour cream because I didn’t want to drive to the store.
Hi! This recipe looks awesome (and seems like the natural progression for me after making the pumpkin bread last week and the banana bread this morning). I have canned wild blueberries on hand – if I use those instead of fresh, should I still use 1.5 cups?
Also – thank you for the suggestion in response to another comment about using buttermilk instead of the sour cream and milk – sour cream grosses me out, but I always have buttermilk on hand so I will try this substitution when I make this bread 🙂
Thanks!
Hi Britta, we’ve never tested using canned blueberries. We would use the same amount, drained. You may want to pat them dry as well so you don’t add too much moisture to the batter. Let us know if you try!
Hi Sally.Can I use dried blueberries,and if the answer is yes,what would be the measurement?I enjoy a lot of your recipies,and have tried some,but never sent you a message,sorry!
Hi Ann! Dried blueberries should work in a pinch, we wouldn’t use more than 1 cup. Thank you so much for making our recipes!
Do you do recipes gluten free? I recently discovered I am gluten sensitive and looking for recipes that are gluten free
Hi Rebecca, We do not have much experience baking with gluten-free flour, but here are all of our naturally gluten free recipes.
I read somewhere on the internet that when you want to make a regular recipe GF, you use GF flour plus one egg extra. So if the recipe says 2 eggs, use 3 + the GF flour. My work friend is coelaec and I have converted many recipes like this with great success. Hope that helps 🙂
I have used king Arthurs measure for measure gluten free flour. 120g per cup…Same as King Arthur’s All purpose flour Using that gram. Never had an issue if using that gram weight. If you are switching whole wheat flour to Gluten free flour use 120g per cup gluten free flour. Batter MIGHT turn out a bit moister, b/c WW flour can absorb a bit more liquid than AP or GF flours But I usually do not have to adjust recipe.
Enough people ask about this, so post your results, to help others
Sally,
I haven’t made this recipe yet, but looking forward to it. I did make the Double Chocolate Banana Bread, and it was delicious.
My question is: What is the purpose of the Sour Cream? Does it replace the usage of other items?
Hi Jim! See the post above for details on the ingredients needed for this recipe: Plain low fat or full fat sour cream or yogurt add exceptional moisture, as well as the necessary acid for the baking soda.
I just made this bread for the first time. It is so delicious! I made two 8×4 inch loaves instead of one bigger loaf so that my son could take one to work. I baked them for around 35 minutes. I also did put the zest of one lemon and subbed in two tablespoons of lemon juice for two tablespoons of milk as Sally suggested. I did add a touch more sugar just because previous posters had stated it wasn’t a very sweet bread. Will definitely be making this one again.
Tried this for the first time but also added lemon as my husband doesn’t like just blueberries. I slightly reduced the milk go the lemon juice and added 1 tbsp extra flour. Also reduced white sugar to 1/4 cup and rolled blueberries in part of the flour so they didn’t sink. It was a major hit and more is on order. Thanks so much for your wonderful recipes.
Hey there this recipe seems to be turning out ok it’s taking a lot longer to bake than then recipe says I do live at higher altitude so if you’re a high altitude baker just keep that in mind. Thanks for the recipe!
I look forward to trying this muffin recipe “as is”, but we have a couple of food allergies in our family and I’d like to adapt this for them. I’ll use gluten-free flour in a 1:1 substitution for the AP flour, no problem. But we also have someone with a severe corn allergy and I’d welcome any recommendations about what to use in place of baking powder. Cream of Tartar plus baking soda would be my first choice, but will I then need to reduce the amount of baking soda already called for in the recipe? Thanks for everything you share – this site has become my GO TO for reliable recipes.
Hi Marge, We haven’t tested this recipe with any corn free baking powder substitutes so we are unsure of the amounts to successfully use. But let us know what you try!
Hi Marge — Otto’s Natural Grain-Free Baking Powder contains no corn. Also, on another site, I found this: Baking Powder Substitute – corn-free recipe
1/4 c arrowroot powder
1/4 c baking soda
1/2 c cream of tartar
Thanks, Arlene … I think that’s the substitute I saw as well, so it’s what I’ll try. I looked up Otto’s but it’s very cost-prohibitive. I appreciate your time and suggestions! Happy Baking…
My husband loves blueberry bread, blueberry muffins, anything blueberry, so I tried your recipe for blueberry bread. He loved it and said it was the best tasting bread that he had ever eaten. He loved it. I baked your blueberry muffins yesterday and he loved them also. I love your banana bread recipe. Thank you so much, Sally. Your recipes are so good. I’m 74 years old and you are teaching me.
Is this where I ask a question?? If so, I do have a question: Would buttermilk be an acceptable substitute for the sour cream in the recipe? Thanks much for your great site!
Hi Annie, if you’d like to substitute buttermilk, use it to replace the sour cream AND the milk. (1 cup total.) Enjoy!
I have made this already once, didn’t get to try it but everyone raved about it. So I’m literally in the process of making another one! Thank you love these recipes!
My only issue is that it’s SOOOO GOOD I’m going to need to make another loaf cause the first one will be gone shortly.
So glad you loved it!
Hi Sally & team. I imagine that peeled diced apple would work in this recipe in place of blueberries. Correct ? I would use a baking type apple and a 1/2 to 3/4 ish of cinnamon. Appx how much diced apple. I am guessing same amount as blueberry ?
You can use the same amount of diced apples in place of the blueberries. Enjoy!
Can I half this recipe and make a smaller loaf, if yes then will the bake time be same ?
Hi Sonea, the bake time will be shorter. We’re unsure of the exact bake time, so use a toothpick to test for doneness.
This was a good recipe but the blueberries all fell to the bottom so were really only in the lower section of each slice. I wish there had been a reminder to roll them in flour (I wish I had thought of that). And don’t over bake! I let mine go a little too long so it wasn’t as moist as I would like. But still solid recipe.
So good!!!
I haven’t made this bread yet. But the grocery store substituted blueberries for blackberries. Really? Anyway I have two 32 ounce bags of frozen blueberries. There are many recipes where you can use either, just don’t thaw. Can I use frozen instead?
Hi Jo, fresh blueberries are best, frozen are more prone to sinking since they are heavier. If using frozen, do not thaw and add 2 more tablespoons of flour to the dry ingredients to help. Hope you enjoy this bread!
This recipe creates a breakfast bread with an excellent texture & moistness, but it just wasn’t sweet enough for me. Should have realized it only has 3/4 c sugars (compared , for ex, to 1-1/4 c in Sally’s pumpkin bread). I definitely recommend adding a little more white sugar and/or the crumble topping. I didn’t originally do the brown sugar crumb topping but now I’m realizing it needs it.
This is my favorite recipe! I have probably made this bread 20+ times. I do reduce and mix-up the sugar, using 1/4 a cup of maple syrup and 1/4 a cup of brown sugar. I also use GF AP flour. Delicious and reliable every time. Thank you for this recipe!
Just baked this, delicious! Wondering if the batter can be made in advance? And if I eat to add some lemon zest and lemon juice, will that throw off the moisture content?
Hi Nancy, we don’t recommend making the batter in advance. The leaveners are activated once the wet and dry ingredients are mixed, so it’s best to bake the batter shortly thereafter. You could certainly add some lemon zest to this batter, or even try replacing some (not all) of the milk with some lemon juice. Let us know what you try!
I made this today and it is absolutely excellent! Substituted yogurt for sour cream, swirled jam on top and then sprinkled muscovado sugar over that to form a crust. Really great recipe!
I made this today and it definitely did not disappoint!
I made it today and it was lovely!
Delicious. I didn’t have any sour cream so used ricotta instead. Otherwise followed the recipe (didn’t add the optional toppings). Mixed the blueberries in some flour first so they’d distribute evenly in the loaf. Moist, sweet, delicious.
Could you substitute with whole wheat flour? Any modifications if you do? Thanks for all your great recipes Sally!!
Hi George, You can use whole wheat flour instead, but the bread will be denser and quite heavy — the taste will also be slightly different. Let us know what you try!
Hi Michelle- Thanks for your response. I ended up using 1/3 APF (that’s what I had left) and 2/3 Whole wheat pastry flour. Bread was excellent; moist, flavorful and delicious. I also added 1tsp(heaping) of cinnamon, 1/2 tsp (heaping) ground ginger and fresh grated nutmeg to dry ingredients and 1/2 cup of flaked toasted coconut (unsweetened) as a mix-in. It sliced better the next day after fridge. Toasted in toaster oven next am. Perfect!
I assume whole wheat pastry flour is a bit lighter than regular whole wheat flour? I may experiment with that next time.
To George, about whole wheat fliurr : Have you ever tried King Arthurs Golden Whole Wheat Flour?( formally White whole Wheat Flour) It is still 100% whole wheat, BUT it just grows lighter in color, & much milder it taste. The gram wt is 113g per cup ( 198 to 199g for 1+ 3/4 C) . Plus ww flours soak up more liquid. So you may need 1 to 2T more Milk if you use all ww flour.
I stumbled across this recipe and have found it to be the most versitile of recipes. I have no problem improvising or experimenting. To wit: I’ve substitued plain yogurt and Ricotta in lieu of sour cream. I’ve also made it as fruit/vegetable bread (zucchini/banana. Substituted raspberries, blackberries, peaches, strawberries. Since I have approx 30+ folks I bake for at the office, I’ve also made muffins (both large and small), simply by reducing the baking time. 18-20 for small, 25-27 large.
The baking time varies based on the water content of my ingredients (zucchini & peaches requiring a tad more time.
I absolutely love this recipe! I’ve made it for brunch many times. My son loves blueberries and wants a blueberry birthday cake. Can this be baked in a rectangular cake pan?
Hi Bethany, that should work just fine! Here’s everything you need to know about cake pan sizes and conversions. Or, you could use our white cake recipe instead and add blueberries to that batter. See recipe Notes there for baking in a 9×13-inch pan.