Lemon Blueberry Bread Streusel (Printable View)

Tender bread filled with blueberries, zesty lemon, topped with crumbly, buttery streusel.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Bread

01 - 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 tsp baking powder
03 - 1/2 tsp baking soda
04 - 1/2 tsp salt
05 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
06 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
07 - 2 large eggs
08 - 1/2 cup whole milk
09 - 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
10 - 1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
11 - 1 tsp vanilla extract
12 - 1 1/4 cups fresh blueberries (or frozen, unthawed and tossed with 1 tsp flour)

→ Streusel Topping

13 - 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
14 - 2 tbsp granulated sugar
15 - 2 tbsp brown sugar
16 - 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
17 - Pinch of salt
18 - 3 tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cubed

# Cooking Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9x5-inch loaf pan or line it with parchment paper.
02 - Combine flour, sugars, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl. Cut in cold butter until crumbly. Refrigerate until needed.
03 - Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
04 - Beat butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each.
05 - Stir in milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract until combined.
06 - Gently fold dry ingredients into wet without overmixing, stopping when just combined.
07 - If using frozen blueberries, toss them with 1 tsp flour. Fold berries carefully into the batter.
08 - Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and smooth surface evenly.
09 - Sprinkle chilled streusel mixture evenly over the batter.
10 - Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
11 - Let bread cool in pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The streusel topping gives you that bakery style crunch without any fuss.
  • Lemon zest brightens every bite so it never feels too heavy or sweet.
  • You can make it with frozen blueberries straight from the freezer and it still turns out beautifully.
02 -
  • Don't skip tossing the blueberries with flour, I learned this after scraping purple streaks off the bottom of a loaf pan.
  • Cold butter in the streusel is non negotiable, if it's too soft it melts into the batter instead of forming those crunchy golden bits.
  • Check the loaf at 50 minutes because ovens vary, mine runs hot and I've overbaked this once and it came out dry around the edges.
03 -
  • Let the loaf cool completely before slicing or it will crumble and stick to the knife.
  • Press the streusel gently into the batter before baking so it doesn't slide off when you slice.
  • If the top is browning too fast, tent it loosely with foil halfway through baking.

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