Lemon-Blueberry Yogurt Loaf!

As the summer moves along, so do the berry seasons: June starts with strawberries, July brings cherries and the hot days of August bring beautiful blueberries. With an early spring and over average summer temperatures, blueberries are ready now, 3 weeks earlier than usual! Yesterday we spent a hot afternoon picking blueberries at a family owned farm on Old Mission Peninsula, and I’m now looking for ways to use up my 10+ pounds of berries!

Blueberries on the bush

For the Loaf:

1. 1 1/2 Cups + 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour, divided
2. 2 teaspoons baking powder
3. 1/2 teaspoon salt
4. 1 C plain (whole-milk if you can find it) yogurt
5. 1 C sugar
6. 3 large eggs
7. 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
8. 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
9. 1/2 C vegetable oil
10. 1 1/2 Cups blueberries, fresh and rinsed (frozen is okay too)

For the Lemon Syrup:

1. 1/3 C freshly squeezed lemon juice
2. 1/3 C sugar

1. 1 C powdered sugar
2. 2 to 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan; dust with flour, tapping out excess.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, lemon zest, vanilla and oil. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix the blueberries with the remaining tablespoon of flour, and fold them very gently into the batter (by coating the blueberries with flour, it prevents them from sinking in the batter).
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes before removing the loaf to a cooling rack. Once cooled, place it on a platter or pan.
5. While the loaf is cooling, make the lemon syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir together the lemon juice and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Once dissolved, continue to cook for 3 more minutes. Remove from the heat; set aside.
6. Use a toothpick to poke holes in the tops and sides of the warm loaf. Brush the top and sides of the loaf with the lemon syrup. Let the syrup soak into the loaf and brush again. Let the loaf cool completely.
7. To make the lemon glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar and 2-3 tablespoons of the lemon juice. The mixture should be thick but pourable. Pour the lemon glaze over the top of the loaf and let it drip down the sides. Let it harden, about 15 minutes, before serving.

Grease and dust your pan with flour.

For this loaf, I used Vanilla Greek Yogurt.

By coating the berries in flour, it prevents them from sinking in the batter.