Uncommonly Fresh Blueberry Bread from a Bread Machine
Sneak Peek: This Bread Machine Blueberry Bread is a memorable Sally Lunn-like yeast bread with fresh, sweetened blueberries swirled throughout.
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Eating this bread always inspires a “Folger’s” moment for me. Like the advertisement, I want a long-lost relative to knock on the door and surprise me while I enjoy my morning coffee.
This cozy blueberry bread would be ready for us to snack on. In my imagination, we would chat about happy memories, the latest gossip, and why we have or have not let our hair go gray.
Back to reality...
Three Reasons Why You Will Fancy This Bread Recipe
- See all those messy blueberries inside the bread? They “melt” as the bread bakes. It will remind you of the freshest blueberry preserves imaginable smeared on cake-like bread. Sweet, but not too sweet.
- This bread uses a bread machine in the same way as all the other bread machine recipes on this website.
- Add the ingredients and run the machine on the DOUGH cycle.
- Remove the dough, shape it by hand, and let it rise again.
- Bake the loaf in your preheated conventional oven. It’s the best way to ensure you get a loaf of bread worth sharing.
- Don’t worry–you can make this bread with a stand mixer or by hand if you don’t have a bread machine. See the recipe notes below.
Happy Bakers Speak Up
“This recipe is so good! I didn’t get the blueberries distributed very well but even so, it’s a keeper. Thanks!”–LISA
What Is Sally Lunn?
A large sponge cake-like bread, more like a bread than a cake that is either yeast or baking powder based that can be made either into a cake, buns, rolls, or even a loaf of bread.”
What’s Cooking America
Recipe Inspiration
The inspiration to add blueberries to Sally Lunn came from a recipe for “Fresh Blueberry Brioche.” See it for yourself in Huckleberry (paid link), authored by Zoe Nathan.
The problem with that recipe is the two days required to make brioche. I often don’t think that far ahead.
Thankfully, Linda Rehberg and Lois Conway have an excellent Sally Lunn recipe in Bread Machine Magic Book of Helpful Hints (paid link). Although this book is older, breadmaker users will find it helpful.
Use leftovers to make French toast, bread pudding, or Toasted Cheese Sandwiches with Muenster cheese. YUM!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- BLUEBERRIES: Fresh blueberries are the way to go with this bread. In the original recipe, I froze the berries but found that step unnecessary. Rinse and let them dry. That’s all!
HINT: Buy the smallest blueberries you can find. Your loaf will be prettier. - HEAVY CREAM: Substitute half and half if you prefer. Your bread won’t be quite as rich as the authentic Sally Lunn.
- WATER: Spring water is my first choice for all bread. If you don’t have it, tap water is fine.
- EGGS: I use only large-size eggs in all my bread recipes.
- SALT: Use table salt or sea salt. If you use Kosher salt, increase the amount by 1/4 teaspoon.
- BUTTER: There is no substitute for butter in my book. If you chop it finely, you won’t have to wait for it to warm up before adding it to the bread machine.
- SUGAR: Use granulated sugar inside the bread. You’ll notice I gave a range for the sugar in the dough. You choose the sweetness level.
- It doesn’t matter if you use granulated or powdered sugar for sprinkling over the berries. Sanding sugar or coarse sugar is my first choice for sprinkling on top of the loaf. Leave it off, or use granulated sugar if you don’t have it.
- FLOUR: The recipe specifies part all-purpose flour and part bread flour. Substitute all-purpose flour for the bread flour if you can’t get it. The bread flour helps the rise, making the texture a bit lighter.
- YEAST: I always recommend instant or bread machine yeast for a bread machine recipe. See the recipe notes if you only have active dry yeast.
How To Make Bread Machine Blueberry Bread
If the dough is too dry and bouncy, add liquid one tablespoon at a time, allowing the dough to absorb it before adding more. If the dough is too wet and sticky, add flour the same way. This is my secret to making better bread with a bread machine.
Leave the bread in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove to cooling rack for another 45 minutes before slicing.
Frequently Asked Questions
The directions will show you how to mix and knead the bread in a bread machine using the DOUGH cycle. Then, you’ll remove the dough and shape it by hand. Incorporate the berries at the same time when shaping. Let the dough rise again in a loaf pan, then bake in your conventional oven.
Using fresh blueberries makes using a bread machine for baking your bread problematic. Kneading the bread with fresh blueberries will result in a bluish-purple bread.
You could “pause” the bread machine and remove the bread from the bread machine pan after the first rise. Next, shape the bread and incorporate the blueberries according to the directions. Finally, remove the blades and return the shaped dough to the machine. Then, continue the regular bread cycle. Expect the crust to be somewhat thick and chewy.
This recipe makes a 1-pound loaf. It should work perfectly.
When you put your loaf into the oven, set your timer for 20 minutes (the halfway point). If the loaf is already golden brown, loosely place a piece of aluminum foil over the top.
Frozen blueberries tend to be too watery. Stick with fresh for this recipe.
Salt is an essential component of any yeast bread recipe. Going without salt is like driving a car with no brakes.
In the same way, the brakes and the gas pedal work together in a car, salt and yeast work together in bread. The salt keeps the yeast from rising out of control, exhausting itself, and falling flat in the oven, resulting in a dense loaf. It also shores up the gluten and makes your bread taste fabulous.
If you want to cut back (not out), experiment with 1/4 teaspoon less and see how it goes.
FYI: Here is a no-salt yeast bread recipe if you need one.
Parting Thoughts: Do you need some recipes for leftover blueberries? These Mini Fruit Tarts with Vanilla Pastry Cream in the BEST Shortbread Crusts are wonderful with blueberries. I love blueberries with my fresh homemade yogurt. Have you tried making yogurt yet?
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More Bread Recipes with Fruit
- Lemon Pull-Apart Bread Machine Recipe
- Cranberry-Lemon Dinner Rolls–A Bread Machine Recipe
- Whole Wheat Apple Pie Yeast Bread
- 6 Bread Machine Secrets You Need To Know
Help at Your Fingertips: For questions or suggestions, email Paula at saladinajar.com. If you need help, I’m happy to troubleshoot via email (faster than leaving a comment). Attach pictures and as many details as possible for the best advice.
Note: The original recipe for this bread made a 1.5-pound loaf. After further testing, I think this bread is much easier to handle and bake as a 1-pound loaf using an 8½ x 4½-inch loaf pan. I have adjusted the recipe accordingly.
Fresh Blueberry Bread Machine Recipe (1-pound loaf)
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Video
Ingredients
Blueberry Prep
- 1 cup (149 g) blueberries
Dough
- 3 tablespoons (40 g) heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon water
- 2 large (100 g) eggs
- 2-3 tablespoons (25-38 g) granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon table or sea salt
- ¼ cup (57 g) butter, chopped into small pieces cold
- 1 cup (120 g) bread flour
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons (133 g) unbleached, all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
Glaze
- 1 (18 g) egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon heavy cream
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon sanding or coarse sugar for sprinkling on top of the loaf.
Instructions
- Rinse 1 cup (149 g) blueberries, lay them on a paper towel to dry, and come to room temperature while making the dough.
- Dump the remaining dough ingredients: 3 tablespoons (40 g) heavy cream, 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon water, 2 large (100 g) eggs, 2-3 tablespoons (25-38 g) granulated sugar , ¾ teaspoon table or sea salt, ¼ cup (57 g) butter, chopped into small pieces, 1 cup (120 g) bread flour, 1 cup + 2 tablespoons (133 g) unbleached, all-purpose flour, and 2 teaspoons instant yeast into the bread pan of your bread machine. Select the DOUGH cycle and press START. Open the lid and check the dough after about 10-15 minutes of mixing to ensure the consistency is correct. The dough should stick to the side, then pull away. If the dough is too dry, add more water 1 teaspoonful at a time. If too sticky, add flour 1 tablespoon a time.
- When the DOUGH cycle completes, and the dough has risen to double its original size, remove the dough to a floured surface. Scatter blueberries evenly over the dough and press them into the dough without smashing the berries. Use your fingers to gently shape the dough into a rectangle approximately 12 x 9 inches, with the short side closest to you.
- Starting with the edge closest to you, carefully roll the dough towards the top to make a cylinder.
- Seal the seam and turn the ends toward the seam. Seal those seams, also. Place in a greased 8½ x 4½-inch loaf pan with the seam side down. (This is easier than the method shown in the video. Do what works best for you.)
- Cover and allow the dough to rise until almost double. This may take 1 hour or more depending on the ambient temperature. The dough should be peeking over the top about 1 inch.
- When you see the bread has almost risen enough, preheat your oven to 350˚F (180˚C).
Glaze
- Whisk together 1 (18 g) egg yolk, 1 teaspoon heavy cream, and a Pinch of salt for the glaze in a small bowl. Paint raised but unbaked loaf with a light touch so the glaze won’t puddle at the outer edges of the loaf. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sanding or coarse sugar. I use sanding sugar but regular sugar works, too.
- Bake at 350˚F (180˚C)for 40-45 minutes. The temperature should read at least 190-200˚F (88-93˚C) when the probe is inserted into the middle of the loaf. Watch to ensure the crust doesn’t overbrown before the bread is done. If necessary, consider tenting the loaf halfway through baking time with aluminum foil to avoid burning the crust.
- Cool in the pan for about 15 minutes before removing the loaf from the pan to a rack to continue cooling. Best eaten after an hour but good luck getting people to wait that long.
Notes
ALTERNATE MIXING INSTRUCTIONS:
Directions for making bread with a stand mixer or by hand:
Equipment
Nutrition
All images and text ©️ Paula Rhodes for Salad in a Jar.com
Paula Rhodes, owner
As a retired home economist, I created Saladinajar.com to share my belief that you don’t have to be a chef to find joy in creating homemade food worth sharing. Bread machines (used in an unconventional way), homemade yogurt, and quick microwave recipes are my specialty.