Blueberry Muffin Bread, GF

By MaryEllen

This gluten free blueberry muffin bread is a tender and rich quick bread made with sour cream, packed with fresh blueberries. Crumble topping (sort of) optional.

Don’t use a glass loaf pan or a dark colored pan, either. Both get super hot and bake the outside of the loaf way too fast. By the time the inside is baked properly, the outside has burned.

Ingredients

• For the (optional) topping
• 4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup (109 g) packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (70 g) all purpose gluten free flour (I used Better Batter)
• 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• For the bread
• 1 3/4 cups (245 g) all purpose gluten free flour (I used Better Batter)
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (54 g) cornstarch
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 tablespoons (84 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
• 2 eggs (100 g, weighed out of shell), at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup (240 g) sour cream, at room temperature
• 5 ounces blueberries, fresh or frozen (if frozen, do not defrost)

Details

Servings 10
Preparation time 15mins
Cooking time 75mins
Adapted from glutenfreeonashoestring.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 325°F. Grease and line a standard 9-inch x 5-inch loaf pan with unbleached parchment paper and set it aside.

If you would like to add the optional crumble topping to the bread, make it first so it can chill while you make the batter for the bread. Place all of the crumble ingredients in a small bowl and mix to combine fully. Place in the refrigerator to chill while you make the bread.

To make the bread, in a medium-sized bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt, and whisk to combine well. Set the bowl aside. In a large bowl, place the butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla, and beat with a handheld mixer until very well-combined. Add half of the dry ingredients, and beat until just combined. Next, add the sour cream, and beat until just combined, followed by almost all of the remaining dry ingredients (reserve about 1 tablespoon in the bowl) and beat until just combined. The mixture will be very thick. Place the blueberries in the bowl with the remaining tablespoon of dry ingredients and toss them gently to coat. Add to the batter and, using a spatula, fold the blueberries into the batter until they’re evenly distributed throughout the batter. Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with a moistened spatula.

Remove the (optional) crumble topping from the refrigerator and break it into large irregular pieces with the tines of a dinner fork. Place the pieces of crumble on top of the batter in the loaf pan and press to help it adhere well.

Place the loaf pan in the center of the preheated oven and bake for about 1 hour, rotating at least once during baking, until the loaf springs back when pressed gently in the center and a toothpick inserted in the center (wherever the loaf splits during baking) comes out with moist crumbs attached (but not batter). Remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.

That crumble topping, though…

Since this blueberry muffin bread is baked in a low (325°F) oven, the crumble topping gets lightly golden brown with no more than a few darker brown spots around the edges. Some of the pieces will fall off a bit when you slice through the topping to get to the tender loaf beneath.

Clearly, the loaf makes even more of a beautiful presentation with the crumble topping. Plus, the lightly crisp topping balances the tender texture of the quick bread perfectly. If you’re planning to serve this loaf soon after making it, I urge you to add the crumble.

But if you plan to make this loaf, slice it and freeze the slices to defrost for an easy to defrost make ahead gluten free breakfast, you might want to skip the topping. Not only does it add extra sugar, but at least if my kids were to eat a slice in the car or on the bus, I shudder to think of the mess they’d make!