Lemon Blueberry Bread~gluten, dairy and grain free

My husband and I have been doing the Whole30 eating plan (no sugar, bread, alcohol, dairy, beans, peanuts, soy for 30 days) since the end of February.  We both said, “how hard can it be?” Surprisingly, we felt great on the Whole30.  For a quick summary of this reset plan, click here. As a result, I am now trying new recipes that are gluten, dairy and grain-free.

As we slowly re-introduce food groups back into our routine, this is one of our favorite recipes.

Ambitious Kitchen recipe

I am a big fan of Monique from Ambitious Kitchen.  This is her recipe and it is gluten free, grain free, paleo, dairy free and it’s not too far off from the principals of the Whole30.  It takes only 15 minutes to prep and 45 minutes to bake and gives the kitchen that great “what-is-in-the-oven” smell.

It is the end of our citrus season so I am using the last of the lemons.  Who doesn’t like the pairing of lemons and blueberries?

Ingredients

Lately, I am using coconut and almond flour for many of my recipes.  Though these flours don’t allow your baked goods to rise like all-purpose flour, they are still tasty and do the trick. You can order these flours online or many stores have them in stock. For almond flour, click here; and coconut flour here.

Mixing it All Together

First step is to mix together all the dry ingredients.  In a separate large bowl,  you mix the wet ingredients, enjoying the fresh scents of lemon zest and juice. For the best zester ever, click here.

The only sweet ingredient in this recipe is maple syrup.  The first time I made this, I used a combination of maple syrup and raw coconut nectar and it worked equally as well.

Whisk the ingredients together.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients.  The consistency thickens quickly in reaction to the baking soda.

Fold in the fresh blueberries and put the batter into a parchment paper lined loaf pan.  I coated the parchment paper with an extra virgin olive oil non-stick cooking spray.

Now Baking

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes (however, I have a convection oven and mine was done at 35-36 minutes).

There is a glaze you can add.  On this loaf, I completely forgot and just served the bread as is.  The glaze is made with a berry jam (I used sour cherry jam), which adds a bit of pink.

The children love this loaf and have no idea it is a healthier version. For me, this bread provides just the right nibble with a cup of coffee or tea.  It also satisfies my need to bake occasionally!

Lemon Blueberry Bread from Ambitious Kitchen


Lemon Blueberry Bread

This bread is paleo, gluten-free, dairy free, grain-free

  • 1 1/3 cups fine blanched almond flour
  • 1/3 cup coconut flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • zest of 1 large lemon
  • 3/4 cup fresh blueberries or raspberries

For the Glaze

  • 1 Tbsp coconut milk from the can (just the top, the solid part)
  • 1 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 Tbsp seedless raspberry jam
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • For garish, zest of 1 lemon

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×4 inch loaf pan with parchment paper or spray pan generously with nonstick cooking spray.

  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda and salt.

  3. In a separate large bowl, whisk together all wet ingredients: eggs, maple syrup, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well to combine. Lastly, fold in blueberries.

  4. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and spread out evenly. Bake for 40-50 minutes until tester comes out clean. Allow loaf to cool completely in the pan before removing.

  5. Once loaf is cooled completely, make your glaze: Place a small pot over low heat and add coconut milk, lemon juice, jam and lemon zest. Stir constantly until ingredients are well-combined. Drizzle glaze on top and garnish with zest from 1 lemon. Cut into 8 slices and enjoy!