Sourdough Discard Blueberry and Lemon Quick Bread
Perfect for those "What do I do with leftover sourdough discard?" moments, this sourdough quick bread brings a fun twist of blueberries and lemon zest, turning it into a dessert-like treat that will surely impress. This Lemon Blueberry Bread offers a refreshing, moist texture with just the right touch of richness, striking a perfect balance in flavors.
I love pairing it with my afternoon tea or coffee or as an afternoon snack on its own.
If you like using blueberries in your breads and desserts, be sure to check out my sourdough blueberry muffins and blueberry bagels!
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Ingredients
What I love the most about this recipe is its practicality. It's so easy to keep every ingredient you need on hand, but it still comes out as a very elaborate dessert (much more than sourdough banana bread for example). Frozen blueberries work even better than fresh ones in my opinion, and all you need to create the wonderfully zesty kick is just simple lemon juice.
- All-purpose flour forms the base of the bread and gives it a light texture
- Sugar adds a little sweetness and balances sour flavors like lemon and blueberries
- Coconut oil keeps the bread moist and adds a mild tropical taste
- Milk makes the bread soft and adds richness
- Egg holds the ingredients together and helps the bread rise
- Baking powder makes the bread fluffy by helping it rise
- Sourdough starter discard adds a tangy flavor that goes well with lemon and blueberries
- Salt enhances the overall flavor and balances the sweetness
- Lemon juice adds a fresh, zesty taste that complements the blueberries
- Blueberries (fresh or frozen) add sweetness, color, and bursts of flavor in every bite
See recipe card for quantities.
How To Make Sourdough Discard Blueberry Lemon Bread
This is an easy recipe, but be careful about two things. First, make sure all your ingredients, are at room temperature (except for frozen blueberries!). Coconut oil gets hard in the cold and can make your mix lumpy if everything isn't warm. Second, be gentle when you mix in the blueberries. If you mix them too much, your bread might turn all purple. We're aiming for yellow bread with some purple spots from the blueberries, not purple bread.
Start by combining all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Ensure the baking powder is well mixed and evenly distributed throughout the flour. In a separate bowl, mix all the wet ingredients together.
I recommend using a hand mixer for this - mix for about 3 minutes to get a slightly fluffy texture. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing as you go.
Once everything is combined, you should have a batter that's similar to muffin batter, but slightly thinner. This consistency is just right for our bread.
In a small bowl, prepare your blueberries straight from the freezer. Lightly coat them in a bit of the flour mixture to prevent them from clumping together. This small step helps distribute the blueberries evenly in the bread and also prevents them from sinking to the bottom.
Carefully fold in the blueberries. The best way to do this is using a silicone spatula. As you mix, you'll see the blueberries begin to release their juice, tinting the batter. The amount of purple in your bread is up to you, but I tend to mix softly to keep the colors balanced.
Take a loaf pan and line it with a piece of parchment paper. Pour in the batter and smooth out the top of the batter for an even surface. Bake the bread at 350°F (roughly 180°C) for 55 to 70 minutes, until the top turns a lovely golden brown. Let it cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
Hint: About 1 - 2 hours before you start making the bread, bring all your ingredients to room temperature, except for the frozen blueberries.
Substitution Notes
- All-Purpose Flour: If you want a heartier texture, you can substitute part of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour. Just remember that whole wheat flour absorbs more moisture, so you might need a little extra liquid. A splash of milk works just fine.
- Coconut Oil: If you don't have coconut oil, butter or vegetable oil can be used. Butter will add a richer flavor, while vegetable oil will make the bread moist. If you decide to use butter, be sure to melt it before adding it!
- Sugar: Feel free to use any type of sugar you have on hand. Brown sugar can add a deeper flavor, while white sugar keeps the bread light in taste. Just keep in mind that brown sugar or coconut sugar can add a little bit of color too.
- Lemon Juice: If you're out of fresh lemons, lemon extract or lemon oil can be a great alternative. They are more concentrated, so you'll need less. Start with a small amount and adjust to taste.
Variations & Add-ins
- Blueberry Lime Version: Replace lemon with lime for a different citrus twist. Lime will add a tart, zesty kick.
- Berry Mix: Instead of just blueberries, mix in other berries like raspberries, strawberries, or blackberries for a mixed berry version.
- Sophisticated Almond: add a teaspoon of almond extract to the batter and mix in sliced or chopped almonds for added crunch. For an extra special touch, sprinkle the top of the bread with sliced almonds before baking, which will toast beautifully.
Tools You'll Need
- Large mixing bowls: You'll need at least two, one for dry ingredients and one for wet.
- Measuring cups and spoons OR a kitchen scale: For accurately measuring your ingredients.
- Hand mixer or stand mixer: Useful for thoroughly mixing the wet ingredients, although you can also do this by hand.
- Silicone spatula: Great for folding in the blueberries gently and scraping down the sides of the bowl.
- Loaf pan: To bake the bread in. Lining it with parchment paper will make removal easier.
- Parchment paper: Helps to easily lift the bread out of the loaf pan and makes cleanup simpler.
- Cooling Rack: Allows the bread to cool evenly after baking.
💭Crucial Success Tips
- Be sure to measure your flour accurately! Instead of scooping, spoon the flour into your measuring cup and then level it off with a knife's back. Even better: use a kitchen scale. Using too much flour can result in bread that's dense and dry.
- If your oven tends to bake unevenly, which is quite common, simply rotate the bread halfway through the baking time for even cooking.
- To check if the bread is fully baked, insert a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean, your bread is ready!
FAQ
Absolutely, frozen blueberries work well in this recipe - I actually use frozen ones more often than not. Remember to use them straight from the freezer without thawing. Just add the frozen berries to the batter and fold them in gently to avoid too much streaking.
Certainly! Just remember to give it a good stir before measuring if you're using cup measurements. Additionally, I recommend still using baking powder as a leavening agent. The batter tends to be thick and heavy, so the sourdough starter alone, even if quite active, might not be sufficient for the right lift.
More Sourdough Discard Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
📖Printable Recipe
Sourdough Discard Blueberry and Lemon Quick Bread
Ingredients
- 187 grams flour 1½ cups
- 133 grams sugar ⅔ cup
- 73 grams coconut oil ⅓ cup
- 122 grams whole milk ½ cup
- 1 large egg about 50 grams
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 157 grams sourdough discard ⅔ cup
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 222 grams blueberries 1½ cups
Instructions
- Start by combining all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Ensure the baking powder is well mixed and evenly distributed throughout the flour. In a separate bowl, mix all the wet ingredients together.
- I recommend using a hand mixer for this - mix for about 3 minutes to get a slightly fluffy texture. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing as you go.
- Once everything is combined, you should have a batter that's similar to muffin batter, but slightly thinner. This consistency is just right for our bread.
- In a small bowl, prepare your blueberries straight from the freezer. Lightly coat them in a bit of the flour mixture to prevent them from clumping together. This small step helps distribute the blueberries evenly in the bread and also prevents them from sinking to the bottom.
- Carefully fold in the blueberries. The best way to do this is using a silicone spatula. As you mix, you'll see the blueberries begin to release their juice, tinting the batter. The amount of purple in your bread is up to you, but I tend to mix softly to keep the colors balanced.
- Take a loaf pan and line it with a piece of parchment paper. Pour in the batter and smooth out the top of the batter for an even surface. Bake the bread at 350°F (roughly 180°C) for 55 to 70 minutes, until the top turns a lovely golden brown. Let it cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
Notes
- About 1 - 2 hours before you start making the bread, bring all your ingredients to room temperature, except for the frozen blueberries.
- Be sure to measure your flour accurately! Instead of scooping, spoon the flour into your measuring cup and then level it off with a knife's back. Even better: use a kitchen scale. Using too much flour can result in bread that's dense and dry.
- If your oven tends to bake unevenly, which is quite common, simply rotate the bread halfway through the baking time for even cooking.
- To check if the bread is fully baked, insert a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean, your bread is ready!
Nutrition
How to store Blueberry Bread?
After the bread has cooled down completely, place it in an airtight container or a resealable plastic bag with a paper towel at the bottom. Add another paper towel on top before sealing. This method keeps the bread fresh and moist for up to 4 days at room temperature.
For longer storage, slice the bread and store it in a resealable freezer bag. It will stay fresh for up to 3 months in the freezer. When you're ready to eat it, let the slices thaw to room temperature, then reheat them in the oven or microwave if you like.
End Notes
If you run into any hiccups while making this recipe or if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to drop a comment below. I'll do my best to respond and help out. Also, I'd love to hear how it turned out for you, so feel free to share your experience. Your feedback means a lot to me!
HAPPY BAKING!👩🏻🍳
I made this last time and it turned out great. thank you for sharing
if I were to use the fed sourdough starter vs discard, is there a modification i need to make to the recipe?
Hi Su!
Thank you for your comment!
As for using fed starter vs discard, you can use both, the recipe stays the same whichever you use. The only think I always say is that I don't recommend using very old discard, because it will create tat sour note in the finished bake and since this is a sweet bake, usually active starter or "fresh" discard" is my preference.
Thank you for the recipe. I made it to take to a VRBO and the family enjoyed it. I wanted a little more of the lemon flavor so I have added the recipe amount plus a bit of lemon zest to the two loaves I have cooking now.
Hi Teresa,
thanks for sharing that with me! I'll need to try this recipe with some extra lemon 🙂
Hi! Thanks for sharing (: what size loaf pan did you use?
Hi Karen,
you're welcome! I used a 9x5 inch loaf pan for this recipe 🙂
Question: do you melt the coconut oil to have 1/3 cup liquid coconut oil, or put the paste coconut oil in a measuring cup to get the 1/3 cup.. sorry if this is a stupid question.
Hi Brooke!
That's a great question, not silly at all! The "official advice for coconut oil is to melt the coconut oil first and then measure out 1/3 cup of it in its liquid form. This ensures that you get the right amount for your recipe. HOWEVER...I usually just take a kitchen spoon and fill the 1/3 cup with paste coconut oil into it. That way I don't end up with more melted coconut oil than I need 🙂
How do you store the bread once it’s made? Does it spoil if left out of the fridge? It’s very delicious!!😍
Hi Bekah!
Glad you liked the bread! To keep it fresh, let it cool, then store in an airtight container with a paper towel at the bottom and top. This will keep it good for up to 4 days at room temperature.
For longer storage, slice and freeze it. It'll last up to 3 months. Just thaw and reheat when ready to enjoy!
I made this bread today, following the recipe exactly. It came out perfect!! I will definitely be adding it to my favorite sourdough recipes category, and making it often! It looked and smelled so good, that I had to cut a couple of slices while it was still very warm...DELICIOUS!!
Hi Tina!
Thank you so much for taking your time to comment, and I'm so glad you like the recipe! It's one of my personal favorites too, especially for summer months! =D
Can I use something else besides coconut oil
Hi Diane,
yes, absolutely! I like the tropical taste coconut oil gives this bread, but if you'd rather skip it, any neutral tasting oil will do - avocado oil, sunflower oil etc.
Thank you! I didn’t see that. Here I go..
It would be great if you could include weights for the ingredients. So much mote accurate, and it’s how many of us are used to measuring. Thanks!
Hi Wendy!
I did include them! If you look closely under the ingredients in the recipe car, bellow is the button named "US customary" and "metric". If you switch to metric, it should show the ingredients in grams. Please let me know if that doesn't work for you, and we'll think of something! 🙂
Is the coconut oil melted or solid in this recipe?
Melted. But it happens to me a lot that I forget to take eggs and milk out of the fridge before I do this recipe and even if I melt the oil, it kind of solidifies when I add it to the cold ingredients...and I feel like there's no difference. So I guess it doesn't matter that much! 🙂
Are we using AP flour or bread flour? Thought I’d throw this recipe together real quick, since I have a hankering for some blueberry bread and it looks delicious!
I usually use AP (because it's way cheaper), but bread flour would absolutely work too! I think I did make it with bred flour once when I was out of AP, but I'm not 100% sure. But it will work, because there's not nothing delicate about this recipe, It's very forgiving =D
Mine did not turn out. Really undercooked. Looked good going in and While cooking but the inside is all doughy/soggy. Continued to cook it like 30 minutes longer. Top is burnt inside is still raw. What did I do wrong?
Hi Stephanie!
I'm sorry your loaf didn't come out right! From my experience, there are 2 things that come to my mind that could be the problem:
1. The size of your loaf pan: did you use a 9×5 inch loaf pan? I have a loaf pan that does not have those dimensions and I rarely use it because no loaf ever comes out right!
2. The oven program: what type of program/function did you use when baking? I know I once burned the top of my bread BADLY because I accidentally turned on my oven on a roasting function...
Other than that, I'm out of ideas (so I secretly hope it was one of those things!).
Can you use fresh blueberries instead of frozen?
Yes, absolutely! I just usually use frozen, because I always have them on hand. When it's blueberry season, I always add fresh ones and don't notice much difference. They just get a bit more squished maybe, but nothing else!
If I wanted to ferment over night, would I mix all ingredients and fridge it?
Hmm, the fermentation slows down considerably in the fridge, so I imagine not much benefit would come from only one night in the fridge; but it is better than nothing! I usually just make this recipe as it is, without worrying about the fermentation - the discard used in the recipe is well fermented already, and I don't worry too much about additional flour.
However, if you have sensitive people in your family, letting the mixture rest for a few hours before baking should help a bit!
Honestly, it happened that I left this batter to rest for about 2-3 hours because I was busy, but I never let it ferment longer. I imagine the tangy flavor would be a bit more intense that way? I have to try it sometime. Please report back if you do decide to try that!
Can I make this without the lemon juice ? I don’t have any lemons but definitely wanna make some blueberry bread !
Of course! I often make this bread without lemon juice as well, since I don't always have it on hand. 🙂
Can I use coconut sugar instead of granulated sugar?
Yes, you can! I tried that once actually (when I was testing the recipe), but I didn't like how string the coconut taste was with coconut oil + sugar. But if you like the taste a lot, maybe it'll be even better for you with coconut sugar! =D