AuthorSteve Nubie
Blueberry bread is made with fresh blueberries and every bite delivers a burst of blueberry flavor. It’s a great dessert bread and perfect at tea time with tea or coffee. It’s also surprisingly good with many savory dishes like beef and pork and wild game. In fact, an Eastern European venison recipe is famous for it’s brown blueberry sauce.
This recipe is actually a cake bread or batter bread recipe, and the final product before baking has a batter-like consistency. This is due to the fact that baking powder is used instead of yeast. Because the batter is without yeast it creates some challenges for anyone using their bread machine to make this recipe.
Bread machines typically have a predisposition to yeast breads. Most of the settings have a rising cycle towards the end of most settings that subjects the yeast-based dough ball to heat in the bread pan to encourage the yeast to become active and raise the dough. That’s a bad idea with a cake bread or batter bread recipe. Baking powder and/or baking soda do not cause the batter to rise before baking. In fact, subjecting the batter to heat before it is subject to full baking temperature will stiffen and harden the loaf. Fortunately, some bread machines have a dedicated cake bread or batter bread setting and the rising step is skipped, and the batter goes directly to the full baking cycle.
If your machine does not have a dedicated cake bread or batter bread setting you can use a pasta dough or cookie dough setting to mix the batter. Those settings also do not have a rising cycle. You would then finish the batter in a buttered baking pan in the oven. If you have one, you should use a Pyrex glass bread pan for baking. Unlike a metal bread pan which can burn the sugars given the higher heat and time for batter breads, a glass bread pan provides a kinder, gentler and more even heat. If all else fails, you can use the dough setting but make sure you pour out the batter before the rising cycle begins. A rising cycle is typical with a standard dough setting because of the assumption that you’re making a yeast bread.
A note on adding the blueberries
Don’t add the blueberries during the mixing cycle or kneading cycle. Wait until the batter is well blended and done mixing and then add the blueberries and fold them into the batter with a spoon of plastic spatula. Fresh blueberries are very tender and if subject to the kneading paddle of the bread machine will burst. The result will be a purple dough and loaf lacking the burst of blueberry flavor that you get from whole blueberries in the loaf. After you folded the blueberries into the batter use your reserved blueberries to top the batter before baking.
Add all of the ingredients to the bread machine bread pan in the order indicated in the ingredients list and select the batter bread or cake bread setting for a 1.5-pound loaf. If it asks for a crust setting, select medium crust.
When done, remove from the bread pan and let rest on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Slice and serve.
Select a setting that does not have a rising cycle at the end of the setting such as a pasta dough or cookie dough setting. If you use the standard dough cycle, pour out the batter into a lightly buttered 8-inch square glass baking pan after the kneading or mixing cycle, and before the rising cycle begins. Fold in and top with the blueberries after you’ve poured the batter into the baking pan.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Line bottom with parchment or wax paper, or dust lightly with flour.
Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick, wooden skewer or knife can be inserted into the center and comes out dry. It it’s wet, bake another ten minutes and repeat until the insert comes out dry.
Place pan onto wire rack to cool. Remove from pan with spatulas and slice and serve
Ingredients
Directions
Add all of the ingredients to the bread machine bread pan in the order indicated in the ingredients list and select the batter bread or cake bread setting for a 1.5-pound loaf. If it asks for a crust setting, select medium crust.
When done, remove from the bread pan and let rest on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Slice and serve.
Select a setting that does not have a rising cycle at the end of the setting such as a pasta dough or cookie dough setting. If you use the standard dough cycle, pour out the batter into a lightly buttered 8-inch square glass baking pan after the kneading or mixing cycle, and before the rising cycle begins. Fold in and top with the blueberries after you’ve poured the batter into the baking pan.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Line bottom with parchment or wax paper, or dust lightly with flour.
Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick, wooden skewer or knife can be inserted into the center and comes out dry. It it’s wet, bake another ten minutes and repeat until the insert comes out dry.
Place pan onto wire rack to cool. Remove from pan with spatulas and slice and serve
My name is Corine Henderson. I have been cooking Cajun food for 55yrs. .
This is my first bread machine. I started today 7/2/2019. I’m going to try your blue berry cake recipe. I’ll let you know how it comes out. Hope I do well. Ha! Ha!? I will reply back. Bye for now.
Hi Corine,
Good luck. If you have any problems or questions just let us know.
Thanks,
Steve