Gluten Free Blueberry Bread

This Gluten-Free Blueberry Bread, topped with a buttery brown sugar streusel, is a delightful way to celebrate Spring. It strikes the perfect balance between sweetness and tartness, with bursts of flavor from the blueberries and a hint of lemon from the fresh lemon zest in every bite. Whether savored as a breakfast treat or a dessert, this irresistible loaf for sure will brighten up any occasion with its refreshing taste and vibrant colors.

Recipe Ingredient Notes

Gluten Free Flour: This Gluten-Free Blueberry Loaf is very forgiving. I tested it with my gluten-free flour blend, King Arthur Measure for Measure and Bob's Red Mill 1-1. All three flour blends produced a beautiful crumb. The Blueberry Loaf made with King Arthur's Measure for Measure stayed fresh the longest. All flour blends mentioned do contain xanthan gum.

Butter & Oil: My Blueberry Bread is made with unsalted butter and oil. Butter provides the buttery flavor we all love and the added oil keeps the cake moist and tender. I prefer to bake with a neutral oil like vegetable oil or grapeseed oil.

Heavy Cream: Heavy Cream gives the cake its richness and tender crumb.

Blueberries: I use fresh blueberries in this recipe. Frozen blueberries can be used as well, just don't thaw the berries before adding them to the batter.

Lemon Zest: A little lemon zest brightens up the flavors of this quickbread. It pairs very well with the blueberries.

Streusel Topping

I love topping this quickbread with a delicious brown sugar streusel before baking. If you are not into streusel, feel free to glaze the baked and fully cooled bread with this quick and easy lemon glaze instead.

To make the Gluten-Free Streusel Topping combine dry ingredients in a small bowl, add butter, and with a fork or your hands crumble together until it resembles a streusel topping. Store in the refridgerator or freezer until ready to use.

How to make a Gluten Free Blueberry Bread

I use an 8.4”x4.5”x4.1 Pullman Loaf Pan in this blueberry bread recipe but a standard 8×4 loaf pan will work as well. The recommended baking times ARE for a Pullman Loaf Pan. A Pullman loaf pan is a rectangular pan with straight sides which allows cakes and quick bread to rise taller without collapsing.

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350F. Make sure the wire racks in the oven are arranged in the middle so the blueberry bread will bake at an even temperature. Spray the Pullman Loaf Pan with some cooking spray, and line it with parchment paper leaving some overhang on the sides.

Step 2: In a small bowl whisk together the gluten-free flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and kosher salt. Set aside.

Step 3: In the bowl of your stand mixer or large mixing bowl combine the granulated sugar and lemon zest. Using your fingers or the back of a spoon, rub the zest into the sugar. This will bring out the oils and lemon flavor of the zest and give the blueberry lemon loaf lemon flavor without adding lemon extract.

Step 4: Add the room-temperature unsalted butter and oil to the lemon sugar. At a medium speed, mix the ingredients until light and fluffy, around 2 minutes. Make sure to stop the mixer halfway through and scrape the sides of the bowl with a flexible spatula.

Step 5: Add the room temperature eggs along with the vanilla extract, one by one, allowing 30 seconds between each addition. The batter may will look curdled but once you add the dry ingredients, it will come back together.

Step 6: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, one-third at a time alternating with the heavy cream. Mix until it has a smooth consistency. Overmixing the cake batter may cause a dense texture.

Step 7: In a small bowl combine the fresh blueberries and 1 teaspoon of gluten-free multi-purpose flour. This will help the fruit to stick to the cake batter and keep it from sinking to the bottom of the quickbread.

Step 8: With a rubber spatula fold the flour-coated blueberries into the bread batter.

Step 9: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth out evenly with the back of a spoon or a flexible spatula. Top the batter with some additional blueberries and then the brown sugar streusel topping. Lightly press the streusel into the quickbread to make sure it does stick to the loaf.

Step 10: Place the gluten free blueberry bread in the preheated oven and bake at 350F for 65-75 minutes. Cook time and total time depend on your loaf pan size and the oven. If you are worried your bread might turn too dark quickly, cover it with some aluminum foil after 45 minutes of baking. The bread is done when it is golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. The internal temperature should register between 200F and 205F.

Step 11: Allow for it to cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes before removing it from the loaf pan and transferring it to a cooling rack to cool completely. This will help it set properly and make it easier to slice without crumbling.

Storage & Freezing

Store any leftovers of the Gluten Free Blueberry Bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4-5 days. Baked goods made with gluten-free ingredients have a shorter shelf life than products baked with all-purpose flour so keep that in mind.

If you plan on freezing the blueberry loaf, you can either freeze the entire loaf or freeze the individual slices. I recommend freezing it in slices since that will make thawing a lot easier. To freeze an entire loaf, make sure it is completely cool. Tightly wrap it with plastic wrap and place it in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 2 months. Allow for it to thaw in the fridge overnight or for several hours at room temperature.

To freeze the individual slices, place the slices of the lemon blueberry bread on a parchment-lined sheet tray. Place it in the freezer for at least 2 hours or until the slices are fully frozen. Once frozen wrap each slice in plastic wrap, place it in an airtight container or freezer bag, and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature. You can warm individual slices in the microwave for a few seconds before serving to give them a fresh baked taste.

FAQ - Gluten Free Blueberry Bread