Orange Blueberry Breakfast Bread

Is there anything better than freshly baked bread on a Monday morning?

My kitchen currently smells divine, a sweet mix of fragrant orange and freshly brewed coffee. It’s the kind of smell that makes you want to curl up on the couch and ease your way into the workweek. Or, at least, make the process of going through the weekends emails a little more enjoyable.

Ironically, I’m not much of a baker. I’ve mentioned this several times before and I think it’s largely due to the fact that I’m not a strict rule-follower. Baking needs rules, cooking thrives on improvisation.

However, since becoming pregnant, it’s one of the few ways that nesting has actually shown up. I’ll happily spend hours in the kitchen, whipping up cookies, cakes, muffins and more. I think it’s naturally one of the ways that I like to show comfort and love. With lots of flour, some fresh fruit, and nuts.

I may not be able to summon any energy to put a nursery together, but I can make you a loaf of bread.

The inspiration for this recipe came from my extreme love of citrus these days. This little baby isn’t a fan of chocolate, but will do anything for vanilla, lemon and orange flavored treats.

After picking up a too-large box of blueberries from Costco a few weeks ago, I created this summer take on a quick-bread, with fresh orange juice, zest and juicy, tart blueberries.

Like most of my desserts of late, this one is only lightly sweetened. Perhaps I’m more aware of foods now that I’m pregnant or because I’m trying to balance my frequent gelato habit, but for some reason, I’ve been really drawn to treats that are barely sweet. Honestly, I think it’s because these are the foods I most want to eat when I wake up. A giant slice of fresh baked bread that still makes me function afterwards.

Therefore, I’m pairing this with a ‘frosting’ choice- whipped orange mascarpone cheese that doubles as a finishing layer for this bread and the perfect thing to dip pretzels in. (Trust me on this one) If you can’t find (or don’t want to splurge) on mascarpone, cream cheese works. Or, leave it off all together. Sometimes I prefer this bread with just a slather of softened butter or nothing at all.

To keep your blueberries from sinking to the bottom as the bread bakes, lightly coat them in flour before adding to the mixture. This trick helps disperse the berries evenly so you aren’t left with a soggy, uncooked blueberry bottom and a tried out top.

Lastly, I tried this version with both gluten-free flour mix (like 1:1 or TJ’s mix) and regular flour and while I preferred the texture of the regular version better, the GF option still works.

If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and tag your Instagram photos with #delishknowledge . I absolutely love seeing your creations. Happy cooking! 

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