Blueberry Bread with Ginger

5 from 3 votes

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Blueberry Bread comes in many forms and flavors. Blueberry muffins, blueberry and lemon bread, and so many other blueberry recipes are there for the loving.

Today I’m showing you how to make a new blueberry creation and it is laced with lively fresh ginger. The real secret behind this sweetbread recipe though is buttermilk. Sweet, creamy, and the perfect fit for this dessert bread.

Top view of blueberry bread with two slices cut off.

About this

I found this blueberry bread recipe in an old copy of Fine Cooking. I try to eat blueberries every day and will look for any excuse to use them. This new bread recipe seemed like the perfect fit.

Magazine page showing a blueberry bread recipe.

Ingredients You Need to Make this Blueberry Bread

  • Unbleached flour
  • Butter
  • Sugar
  • Blueberries
  • Buttermilk
  • Eggs
  • Ginger (Fresh or powdered)
  • Vanilla extract
  • Powdered sugar or Sanding Sugar for dusting

I’m spending the week with a couple of our guys at our small cottage on a small lake in The Middle of Nowhere, Wisconsin. Our place is rather remote, surrounded by farm fields and dirt roads that sometimes even challenge the GPS ; it’s one of the reasons we love it out here.

There’s no mail, there is no cable television and the closest town is miles away. At night time when it’s dark, it’s really dark; making it ideal for star gazing and a place that Galileo too would have loved.

It’s the perfect place to make bread. And I make a lot of bread recipes when I’m here.

Top view of loaf of bread.

I love using ginger in the kitchen but I’ve never put it in bread. The original recipe for this blueberry and ginger bread calls for fresh ginger and sanding sugar. These are two ingredients I did not have on hand at our small oasis.

Sliced blueberry bread on a cutting board with loose blueberries.

Not to worry, a couple of tablespoons of ground ginger and some powdered sugar did the job, both with flying colors and flavors. This sweetbread is soft in texture, color, and flavors. The light purple of the berries seeps into the surrounding light cake-light bread, made yellow from the egg and butter and highlighted with mellow tones of ginger.

My most honest critics, our boys, loved the finished product and I can’t imagine that you would disagree with them. Take yourself off the grid, even for an hour or two, then make this easy blueberry bread recipe. I think you’ll love it.

Dan from Platter Talk standing in the kitchen.
Dan

Can I use frozen blueberries in this bread recipe?

If you don’t have fresh blueberries, frozen ones will work just fine. Be sure and drain them well before adding to the batter.

Why do my blueberries sink to the bottom of the loaf?

This can happen with thin batters. You can either roll your berries in flour before adding to the batter (which ultimately thickens it.) Or, add a third of the batter to the loaf pan, before adding the berries to the mix.  Then, fold in the berries to the remaining batter and pour it over the first layer. This should help prevent your blueberries from sinking.

If you have tried this Blueberry Bread let us know in the comments below! You can also FOLLOW US on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, and PINTEREST to see what we have cooking!

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Blueberry Bread with Ginger

5 from 3 votes
Blueberry bread with hints of ginger, topped with coarse sugar crystals.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 1 hour
Total: 1 hour 10 minutes
Yield: 10 slices

Ingredients 

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened for pan
  • 2 cups unbleached flour plus a spoonful for pan
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries, or fresh berry of your choice
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons finely grated ginger
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
  • powdered or sanding sugar for topping

Instructions 

  • Position oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Butter and then flour a loaf pan, tapping out excess flour.
  • In large bowl, mix flour, sugar, and baking powder. Stir until well blended, fold in blueberries.
  • In medium bowl, combine the buttermilk, ginger, eggs, and vanilla, stir until blended.
  • Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and add melted butter.
  • Use rubber spatula to gently fold ingredients together.
  • Scrape batter into pan, evenly distributing.
  • Sprinkle sanding sugar over batter, or wait till bread is done and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
  • Bake bread for 55-60 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
  • Allow to cool for 30 minutes.
  • Challenge yourself not to eat in one setting.
  • O.K., skip previous step.

Notes

  • Rotate bread, halfway through the baking process, to help ensure even baking.
  • Use powdered ginger if you don't have fresh ginger.

Nutrition

Calories: 284kcal, Carbohydrates: 38g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 63mg, Sodium: 448mg, Potassium: 87mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 19g, Vitamin A: 418IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 40mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: All American
Tried this recipe?Mention @plattertalk or tag #plattertalk!
Updated from the original post of June 9, 2015

Meet the Platter Talk Guys

Dan & Scott split their time between Wisconsin and Southwest Florida and are dads to six boys. Good food runs through their veins, and they love showing others how to cook easy recipes.

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16 Comments

  1. I love the simplicity of your bread and love the combination of blueberry and ginger Dan! Pinned and shared!

  2. 5 stars
    Hi Dan, This is a delicious recipe. I too am a fan of sweet breads and always looking for new recipes. Can’t wait to give this blueberry ginger bread a try.

    1. Joanne, Wonderful to hear from you, old foodie friend! We enjoyed this bread and we’re looking forward to new recipes like this one, down the road! It’s so nice of you to stop by, we always love to hear from you.

  3. This bread looks beautiful, Dan! What a wonderful way to incorporate ginger. The crumb looks so tender on this bread, and I love the bursts of blueberries throughout. I, too, have not met a sweet bread I didn’t enjoy. I also love baking things like this because, like you described, they’re rustic and perfect without any extra fussiness. Hope you have a relaxing stay at the cottage and enjoy the gorgeous stars 🙂

    1. Beeta, thanks so much for your wonderful words. And yes, the stars are bright here, nearly every night! Long live sweet breads, and long live summer! Thanks again for stopping by.

  4. 5 stars
    Hey Dan, Wow!! I love this perfect-for-any-time-of-the-year bread and I love your post. Your photos are stunning and your writing inspiring. Great job on another beautiful post.

    1. Mrs. Gall! We have missed you and Simply Sated, it is so great to hear from you. Thank you for the wonderful comments; we’re happy you liked this post and we think of you often and wish you a wonderful summer season full of good food and good company!

  5. Another delightful glimpse into life and food at your cottage in the middle of nowhere Wisconsin. What a fantastic recipe.

  6. 5 stars
    I love the idea of blueberries and ginger together – this is the perfect cut and come again loaf to have on hand for a treat at any time of day!