What's Baking: Blueberry Lemon Loaf

I still feel like a novice baker, but like the age old saying goes "Practice makes perfect.".  I decided to join another recipe challenge that has to do with baking.  Deep down inside, I felt like it would be a great challenge, but at the same time, I was scared about how my project would turn out.  This month's challenge from Ammie at Adventures in My Kitchen: baking with produce.

I have to admit that the recipe I wanted to make changed a lot.  First it was raspberry and lemon cupcakes, but my store didn't have raspberries.  Then I thought I'd do the Blueberry Lemon cupcakes from Annie's Eats, but mid-week, I changed my mind because I didn't want to bother with frosting anything.  So, I found this: Blueberry Lemon Loaf.  I love recipe challenges because they cause me to stumble over new blogs.  Hopefully other people stumble across my blog that way too.

Blueberry Lemon Loaf- makes one loaf
adapted from Vicarious Foodie
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (1 lemon)
1/2 cup milk
2 1/4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Lemon Glaze:
2/3 cup granulated white sugar
6  tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (325 degrees for dark-finish pans) and place the oven rack in the center of the oven. Grease a loaf pan, so loaf doesn't stick.

2) In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3) In the bowl of an electric mixer or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until softened. Add the sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract, lemon zest, and lemon juicet.
4) With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture (in three additions) and milk (in two additions) alternately, starting and ending with the flour. Mix only until combined.
5) Gently fold in the blueberries.
6) Scrape the batter into the prepared pans and bake for about 40 to 45 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7)  Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the 1/3 cup of sugar and the 3 tablespoons of lemon juice to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
8) When the bread is done, remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Pierce the hot loaves all over with a wooden skewer or toothpick, and then brush the tops of the loaves with the hot lemon glaze. Cool the loaves in the pans for about 30 minutes, then remove from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.

While I found this bread really good, I love intense lemon flavors, so I adjusted the recipe to include more lemon juice.  If you like duller lemon flavors, don't add the lemon juice to the wet mix ingredient mixture, and cut the glaze amount in half.  I also added quite a bit more blueberries so that the loaf was bursting with blueberries.  I thought it was a great loaf and would be perfect for a brunch or just a morning get together with friends.  I love the contrasting colors of the lemons and the blueberries and am glad that I ended up making this, instead of the other choices.  So next time you find yourself scared of baking, try making this lemon loaf: very easy to make and very good.