This past Friday morning, my parents and I woke up at the crack of dawn, grabbed our gift bags and cameras, and dashed out the door by 7 am with caffeine in hand. After driving nearly an hour on the freeway and hiking around hilly city streets, we arrived with plenty of time to spare at our destination…
My younger brother’s college graduation ceremony!
Eventually, the ushers opened the doors to the theater, and we hurriedly rushed inside, quickly claiming 10 spots for various friends and family members by draping jackets, scarves, and purses across the plush seats. We chatted and caught up with them as they trickled in, but when Pomp and Circumstance began playing through the speakers, we all turned to the aisles to watch for my brother as the graduates filed in.
We easily spotted him, thanks to a plethora of cords and stoles hanging around his neck, and waved like crazy people as he followed the procession down the aisle. He smiled and waved back at us, probably laughing a little on the inside at how funny we looked!
But we had a good reason to be so excited…
Halfway through the ceremony, just before calling up all of the students to walk across the stage, the Computer Science department recognized a few of the graduates for their outstanding achievements. My brother walked to the podium last, and we cheered loudly as the professors explained that he had earned a near-perfect GPA, including 18 A+ grades—the most in the entire history of the CS major!
I’m so incredibly proud of my younger brother. Not only is he one of the smartest, most talented people I’ve ever met—both in computer science and music—but he’s also the sweetest, most supportive brother I ever could have asked for. He always answers every text, phone call, and email from me, no matter how small or insignificant, and he continues to inspire me to do bigger and better things. I love this guy!
So in honor of him, I’m declaring this Lemon Week on the blog because it’s his favorite flavor! And to start, I created this Lemon Blueberry Breakfast Loaf, a clean-eating quick bread bursting with fruity flavors. It was the perfect healthy way to open the day, especially for nibbling on in the car on the way to the ceremony!
To keep the loaf as light and tender as traditional quick breads, I used whole wheat pastry flour. It has all of the health benefits of regular whole wheat flour, but it produces a texture and flavor similar to regular all-purpose flour. It’s the best of both worlds!
Greek yogurt creates the extremely moist interior. It’s my secret weapon in healthier baking! I’ve used it in countless recipes, including frosting for cupcakes. Greek yogurt provides baked goods with the same moisture as excess butter or oil, but without the extra calories. It also adds a protein boost!
Although this recipe includes both juice and zest, the lemon zest actually provides the majority of the sunshiny citrus taste. The oils in the lemon peel pack in quite a flavor punch, much more so than the juice inside, so don’t skip it! If you can find them, I highly recommend Meyer lemons because they’re slightly sweeter than traditional ones.
And of course… The blueberries! I used fresh blueberries because (a) they’ve been on sale at the grocery store for the past few weeks and (b) they don’t bleed like frozen ones. I hate it when frozen blueberries turn my baked goods a murky gray, especially when they should really have a pretty pastel yellow hue from the lemons!
I also add in a lot of blueberries, probably more than most recipes, because it’s so disappointing to bite into a muffin or loaf and just taste… Bread. What’s the point?? Call me crazy, but I want at least one berry—if not two!—in every bite, and this quick bread definitely delivers.
P.S. If you seal the cooled loaf in plastic wrap and can wait to slice into it until the next day, it develops that thin soft, sugary coat on the top like with banana bread… Pure bliss!
But with my family’s self-control… Half the loaf disappeared in just 10 minutes!
| Lemon Blueberry Breakfast Loaf | | Print |
- 2 cups (240g) whole wheat pastry or gluten-free* flour (measured correctly)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1-2 tbsp lemon zest (about 1 medium or large lemon)
- 1 tbsp (14g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120mL) agave
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup (60mL) lemon juice (about 1 medium or large lemon)
- ¼ cup (60mL) nonfat milk
- 1 ¼ cup (175g) fresh blueberries
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and lightly coat a 9x5” loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, egg white, and vanilla. Stir in the agave and Greek yogurt, mixing until no large lumps remain. Stir in the lemon juice. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and milk to the egg mixture, beginning and ending with the flour, and stirring until just barely incorporated. Gently fold in the blueberries.
- Gently spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350°F for 37-41 minutes, or until the top feels lightly firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack.
For the gluten-free flour, I recommend as follows: 1 cup (120g) millet flour, ½ cup (60g) tapioca flour, ½ cup (60g) brown rice flour, and 2 teaspoons xanthan gum.
I recommend using fresh blueberries since frozen tend to bleed and turn the batter gray. However, if using frozen, the bake time may need to be increased.
{clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
More blueberry quick bread loaf recipes from other food bloggers…
♥ Low Fat Blueberry Pecan Banana Bread by Recipe Runner
♥ Blueberry Quick Bread by Crunchy Creamy Sweet
♥ Blueberry-Coconut Banana Bread by Bakers Royale
♥ Blueberry Vanilla Bread with Lemon Glaze by Julia’s Album
Amy
WOW ! What a super fantastic job your brother did ! I’m sure Mom and Dad are equally as proud : )
I’ve taught at a university for over 15 year (I’m a Social Psychologist) and I haven’t seen anyone come close to this performance.
I don’t know why….but I don’t care for agave. Could I use 1/2 cup honey instead or should I use less?
Looking forward to trying this bread !
Thanks
Kimberly
You’re so kind Kimberly — thank you for your sweet words! Mom and Dad are most definitely just as proud, if not even more. 🙂 Yes, you could easily swap in honey instead of agave! The same amount will be fine. I really hope you enjoy the loaf!
Thanks so much for the recipe, I bake it this evening!
I was thinking of using sugar instead of agave, what type of sugar would you recommend and what quantity?
Thanks! I love your blog!
I’d recommend ½ cup of light brown sugar plus an additional ¼ cup of milk as a substitute for the agave. I hope you enjoy the loaf Laura!
This loaf looks yummy! Blueberries and lemons – one of my favorite combos!
Thanks Deborah! It’s a favorite flavor combo in my family too!
Your brother must be the smartest brother ever! This loaf looks like pure bliss, lemon and blueberry are perfect flavour partners.
Thank you so much Eve — he definitely is! 🙂
This looks absolutely beautiful!
Thanks Lucie!
Yum! This looks perfect for breakfast. It feels so summery!
Thanks Shannon!
I could definitely go for a slice of that right about now 🙂 I ought to make more quick breads, they’re just so good!
I feel the same way about quick breads June — I definitely want to make more this summer!
wow, what an accomplishment – congratulations to your brother – and this loaf…I am in love
Thank you so much Heather!
Hi Amy, this looks great, but I was wondering if it would be possible to substitute vanilla protein powder for some of the flour. Do you think that could work?
Thanks James! I haven’t tried with this specific recipe, so I’m not entirely sure how that would turn out. You could also make these lemon protein muffins of mine, skip the poppy seeds, and add blueberries instead. 🙂
This looks so yummy. Quick question. I’m just learning to cook for one and am so mindful of waste. This is a lot more than I would be able to eat in a week. Does this bread freeze well?
Thanks Trish! Yes, the loaf freezes really well. I like to slice it before freezing so I can pull out individual servings. If you didn’t want to freeze it, you could also make these small-batch lemon blueberry muffins of mine instead. They taste exactly the same as this loaf, and I’m guessing you’ll be able to finish all 6 in a week!
Thanks Amy! I appreciate the tip and the new recipe. 🙂
My pleasure Trish! 🙂
that crumb looks so flavorful and moist!
Thank you!