Blue Ribbon Group Blue Ribbon Blueberry Bread
2021 Minnesota State Fair Winner; Features Poppyseeds, Streusel Topping
This Blue Ribbon Blueberry Bread has a delightful streusel topping and in its batter: poppyseeds and lemon zest. The flavors are perfectly balanced, making every bite taste fantastic. It’s a tender, yet firm bread that bakes beautifully through the entire loaf (with no part under or over baked).
Sheila Mullen won best quick bread at the 2021 Minnesota State Fair with this recipe. She won out of 49 entries. Wow!
Sheila says: This is a family and friends favorite. The original recipe came from a bed and breakfast our family stayed at in Iowa after my sister’s wedding. It’s so popular that I freeze blueberries in the summer specially so I can bake up a fresh loaf all year long. I’ve made a few changes to the recipe to make it easier to mix up.
Key Ingredients/Tools/Tips
Sheila uses a Danish whisk with this recipe.
She thinks one of her secrets to winning was choosing small, equally sized blueberries and not overmixing the batter. The Danish whisk helps with this.
The streusel is key, adding a richness with just a few ingredients.
You can make the batter in a variety of pans. Sheila favors 4 mini loaves.
For the fair though, she uses pan 7-inches x 3 1/2-inches in size. The bread bakes perfectly, making for perfect slices to enjoy.
Add this to your best recipe pile and bake it soon!
And try more Minnesota winning recipes from our collection, like this one.
-Cyndi
Blue Ribbon Blueberry Bread
Streusel Topping:
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons white flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, softened
Bread:
2 cups white flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon peel
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg (room temperature)
1/2 cup milk (room temperature)
1 1/2 – 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
For streusel: In small bowl, mix sugar, flour and cinnamon together. Work butter into mixture until crumbly. Set aside.
For bread: Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F (convection mode, if available). In small bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt, lemon peel, and poppy seeds. Set aside.
In large bowl, work butter into sugar, then mix in egg and milk. Add dry ingredients. Stir. Once it starts to combine, gently fold in blueberries. Do not overmix!
Choose and grease your pans. There will be enough batter for
- 4 mini loaves, 5 3/4-inches x 3 1/4-inches in size, or
- 1 loaf pan, 7-inches x 3 1/2-inches in size + 1 mini loaf (see above), or
- 1 loaf, 7-inches x 3 1/2-inches in size + 4 small muffins, or
- 1 loaf, 7-inches x 3 1/2-inches in size + 2 large muffins, or
- 1 (shallow) loaf, 9-inches x 5-inches in size
Spread batter in prepared pans. Cover with streusel topping. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Approximate lengths:
- 50-55 minutes for loaf pan 7-inches x 3 1/2-inches in size
- Roughly 25 minutes for small muffins, 30 minutes for large
- Adjust times for size, being careful not to over-bake.
Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely. Makes approximately 10 servings.
