Lemon Berry Quick Bread

Does anybody know who invented quick breads? I really need to know so I can thank that person! Quick breads are versatile, easy to make, and come together more quickly 🙂 and with less effort than traditional bread. Quick breads require none of the yeast, rising, or kneading that traditional breads do. They also keep well (up to six months) in the freezer, though I have never made one that quite makes it to the freezing part. 🙂 If we're being real, quick bread isn't bread at all. It's more like cake in loaf shape. I have been making these yummy treats for a little over a year now and there is no dearth of ingredients that can be used...herbs, cheeses, fruits, spices, nuts...the list goes on. The lemon berry quick bread featured today is a sweet one, but not too sweet. It is dense and moist, bursting with berry flavor and drenched in a tart lemon glaze that balances everything out perfectly.

This is one of my go-to quick breads to make for others because it also looks amazing. Each slice is a little different from the next due to the random blackberries and strawberry slices folded into the batter. And when it's all dolled up with lemon glaze, it's absolutely irresistible. This lemon berry quick bread makes a for nice dessert but can also accompany bacon and eggs as a brunch pastry. The first iteration of this bread was an experiment in my grad school kitchen and it has become a favorite of mine, my family, and friends. I knew it had to be one of the first things I shared here on the blog and hope y'all will love it, too. No special expertise is required to make (or eat!) this and you probably have most of the ingredients on hand right now. With this recipe, there will be extra glaze. If you are like me, you will add a bit of it to each slice. Don't feel bad about this.

If you're a fan of this lemon berry quick bread, you might also like the recipes below. Thanks for reading!

P.S. More quick bread goodness:

• Spiced Banana Nut Bread

Lemon Berry Quick Bread

Jazzmine Woodard

Quick bread flavored with fresh lemon zest and ripe berries then drizzled with a tart lemon glaze

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 1 loaf

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Bread

• ▢ 6 ripe strawberries sliced
• ▢ 12 ripe blackberries
• ▢ 1 cup sugar
• ▢ ¾ cup butter melted
• ▢ ¾ cup milk plus two teaspoons
• ▢ ¼ cup oil (I use olive)
• ▢ 2 cups flour plus 1 rounded teaspoon
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ▢ zest of 1 lemon
• ▢ 1 egg

Glaze

• ▢ Juice of 1 lemon
• ▢ zest of 1 lemon
• ▢ 2 cups powdered sugar
• ▢ 2 teaspoons milk optional

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sea salt, and baking soda. Add berries and thoroughly coat with flour mixture.
• In another bowl, mix together remaining bread ingredients until uniform. Stir into dry mixture. Batter will be thick. Spread into a small loaf pan and bake for about one hour and 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
• Cool loaf to room temperature. Meanwhile, mix up glaze ingredients. If the glaze is too thick, add milk, one teaspoon at a time to achieve a syrup-like consistency. Once loaf is cooled, drizzle glaze over top.

Notes

I sometimes employ frozen vegetables or fruits in my recipes to save time and money. I don't recommend doing so here. Using fresh, ripe berries is paramount to the success of this bread. The lemon zest and glaze add a tartness that needs to be balanced by sweet fruit. If you must use frozen berries in this recipe, be sure to thaw and drain them well so that there is no excess liquid to make the bread mushy.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!