Blueberry Banana Bread

I love the springtime. Not only have we lost all our snow, but delicious fresh berries are available in the stores again in abundance. I’ve been enjoying large containers of blueberries and strawberries from Sam’s Club.  The prices are great and it gives me a great excuse to bake something before they go bad, or I have to freeze some of them. Earlier this month I decided that we needed some blueberry bread. But since I had several over ripe bananas on my counter, I figured why not combine the two? I found this great mini loaves blueberry banana bread recipe and tweaked it for my family’s taste.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 /2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 medium over-ripe bananas, mashed
1 1/2 cup cup fresh blueberries
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar (Sugar in the Raw)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  .
In large bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt.
Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl for 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time , beating between each addition.
Mix in mashed bananas and vanilla until well blended.
Add dry ingredients in small increments while beating until just combined.
Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of flour over blueberries and toss gently to coat for more even distribution of blueberries the the bread. (optional)
Gently fold blueberries into batter.
Pour into greased and floured 9×5 inch loaf pan.
Sprinkle top turbino sugar if desired.
Bake for approximately 50 – 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Cool completely before serving.

I did struggle a bit to have the inside of my bread get done as the edges started to get a darker brown. If you notice this, lightly drape some aluminum foil over your bread near the end of baking to get it fully done in the middle but avoid any over browning.

This bread is super flavorful and very soft. My family loved the refreshing blueberries. The bananas and blueberries make a winning combination.  Yum!