Lemon Blueberry loaf

I found this bread on pinterest this morning while I was looking for the large hair bow my oldest daughter wants me to make for her. The bread looked so yummy, I decided to throw it together. I made a few adjustments to the recipe, but the bread is WONDERFUL!

For the Loaf:

• 1 1/2 cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (I used 1/2 cup vanilla 1% milkfat and 1/2 cup sour cream)
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (approximately 2 lemons)(I used dried zest & 1/2 tsp lemon extract-I'm sure fresh would be better!)
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used 1/4 cup oil & 1/4 cup applesauce)
• 1 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen, thawed and rinsed

For the Lemon Syrup: (I didn't add this part to avoid the extra sugar and maybe too much lemon for my family)

• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/3 cup sugar

For the Lemon Glaze: (I only used half of this to cut down on the sugar as well.)

• 1 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom and sides of one 9 x 5-inch loaf pan; dust with flour, tapping out excess.(I used spray and no flour)
2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, lemon zest, vanilla and oil. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix the blueberries with the remaining tablespoon of flour, and fold them very gently into the batter.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing loaf to a wire rack on top of a baking sheet.
5. While the loaf is cooling, make the lemon syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir together the lemon juice and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Once dissolved, continue to cook for 3 more minutes. Remove from the heat; set aside.
6. Use a toothpick to poke holes in the tops and sides of the warm loaf. Brush the top and sides of the loaf with the lemon syrup. Let the syrup soak into the cake and brush again. Let the cake cool completely.(You are kidding, right! We dug in about 15 minutes later)
7. To make the lemon glaze, in a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and 2-3 tablespoons of the lemon juice. The mixture should be thick but pourable. Add up to another tablespoon of lemon juice if the mixture is too stiff. Pour the lemon glaze over the top of each loaf and let it drip down the sides. Let the lemon glaze harden, about 15 minutes, before serving.

Now I think I will probably try this the RIGHT way one day, but this lower sugar, less lemon way worked and the bread is still incredibly yummy and moist and sweet. Here is a link to the Smitten Kitchen that gives you other options for this bread as well.

http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/04/lemon-yogurt-anything-cake/