Blueberry Soda Bread

This bread is my everything now.  I know I joke and say I could eat the whole loaf but guys?  I actually ate, like, 80% of this loaf on my own.  Really and truly.  It is perfection.

Can you just look at the height of that loaf in the picture below?  Unreal.  Like a painting.  I'm an artiste and my canvas is a loaf pan and my easel is flour and butter and blueberries and my smock is an apron and my paintbrush is a whisk and my frame is an oven?  Or would the loaf be the frame?  And the easel would be a bowl?  I really lost my way halfway through that metaphor.

So remember that Cheddar Cranberry Loaf I made?  Yeah well I couldn't get it out of my mind.  The texture was so perfect.  And the crust, oh the crust!  Of course that crust was covered in cheese so most things will be delicious if covered in cheese.

For this loaf, I left out the cheese and instead made a quick blueberry sauce to swirl on top of the loaf before popping in the oven.  Holy heck.  Maybe better than the cheese crust?  Depends on what you fancy.

But if you fancy a blueberry crust, get in line.  Behind me.  And good luck cuz I'm gonna eat it all before you.

Here's the recipe!

Blueberry Soda Bread
makes one 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 1 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

Blueberry Swirl 

• 1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1 teaspoon sugar 

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 375.  Grease and flour an 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan and set aside. 
2.  Make the glaze.  In a medium saucepan on low-medium heat, add blueberries and sugar.  Allow to cook slow, stirring occasionally until blueberries begin to burst and sauce thickens, about 6 minutes.  When ready, set aside to cool slightly while assembling the loaf.

3.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and sugar.  Add the cubed butter and cut in using a fork or pastry cutter.  Butter should be well incorporated into flour and flour should hold together slightly when pinched between your fingers.  In a small bowl, add blueberries and 1 tablespoon of the flour/butter mixture, tossing lightly to coat the berries (this ensure they don't sink to the bottom of your loaf pan while baking).  Set aside blueberries.  

4.  In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk and egg until well combined.  Add to dry ingredients.  Stir well, making sure no flour pockets remain.  Add blueberries coated in flour/butter and stir gently to distribute.     

5.  Transfer batter into loaf pan and smooth into corners.  Dollop the top of the loaf with the blueberry sauce and drag a butter knife through the sauce in a figure 8 motion.  Precision isn't necessary, you just want to evenly distribute the sauce.  Bake 55-60 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking.  If loaf begins to brown too quickly, cover with a foil tent to prevent burning.  Allow to cool ten minutes in pan before turning out on wire rack and cooling completely.  Slice and serve.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Joy The Baker.