This week I have been reading “Masters of Medicine” by Andrew Lam. If you like history or medicine, it is a really good book! If you get squeamish….it might not be a great pick. It covers the discovery of insulin, penicillin, forceps, washing your hands!, the polio vaccine, and tests like the Pap smear. These things are commonplace now. I did learn a woman was more likely to live if she gave birth in 1800 versus 1930. This is because in 1930 hospitals were not sanitary and still not washing their hands at the time, so rich women were actually dying more than poor women because the poor woman delivered the babies at home.
I haven’t read much because I am still studying for the 200-question, 4-hour long, National Counseling Exam for my license.
This recipe is all over the internet really. I know most of them are really just Averie Cooks recipe of the Starbucks Lemon Loaf, but they do not give her credit. So here I am giving the original person (I think) credit for most of this recipe. I healthy-fied it as usual. 🙂 But you can choose as much or as little ingredient changes as you like!
First, the dry ingredients. I like to mix and match with white whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour. I don’t notice much of a difference and as long as it is white whole wheat instead of the hearty whole wheat – then it is pretty interchangeable in my opinion. I’ve made this bread many times with zucchini, with or without blueberries, all whole wheat…so I’ve done my fair share of research. Plus we have been eating white whole wheat flour for so long that we don’t notice much of a difference….until we go to Olive Garden or Texas Roadhouse with fresh white bread 🙂
Second, the wet ingredients. I also like to mix and match with sugar and Stevia. I get the giant bag of stevia while trying different levels where it still tastes good. Right now I liked this with 1/4 cup Stevia and 3/4 cup sugar. I think I will try half and half next time. I have tried completely replacing the sugar and it tastes off-putting.
Third, the fat. I have had success for 10+ years replacing oil for applesauce in any quick bread. Quick breads include anything that rises with baking powder or baking soda like this lemon loaf, or pancakes, or waffles, or baked oatmeal. I have *tried* replacing applesauce in cake mixes, but the results are gummy and tasteless.
Fourth, the lemon extract is a must. It really makes the lemon flavor sing. If you try to find a dry version, TruLemon makes a lemon powder that is all-natural ingredients. I’ve been using their mixes for 15 years and always had great results. I have tried using lemon zest, but it is never lemony enough without the extract. Don’t use lemon oil! That is another product. If you aren’t sure if you will ever use lemon extract again – try adding it to your cakes, cheesecake dips, or even smoothies. Anything that could use a lemon pick-me-up.
Here is the recipe for the heavenly bread! It works without the blueberries, too!
Blueberry Lemon Loaf
Ingredients
Loaf
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour* plus 1 Tb. flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup Greek yogurt plain or vanilla
- 3 eggs
- 2 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 tbsp lemon extract
- 1 cup sugar*
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil*
- 1 1/2 cups blueberries
Icing
- 2 tb lemon juice from same lemon
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
Loaf
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x5" loaf pan with cooking spray very liberally.
- In a great big bowl, whisk together the dry stuff: flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a medium bowl, mix the wet stuff: greek yogurt, lemon zest, lemon extract, eggs, sugar, and oil, Whisk together until well combined.
- Add the wet stuff to the dry stuff. Stir with a spatula until just barely combined.
- In a separate small bowl, add one tablespoon of flour to the blueberries and coat them. This will keep them from all sinking to the bottom. Then, add the blueberries to the batter. Gently fold them in. Pour the loaf batter into the 9x5 pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Then, tent the top with foil and bake another 20 minutes. Check after a total of 45 minutes! Then keep checking with a toothpick every 5 minutes until the toothpick comes out clean. Some of my loaves take 45 minutes, some take 55 minutes.
Icing
- In a small bowl, add the powdered sugar. Then, add a little bit of lemon jiuce at a time until the icing is as thick or thin as you like it. Once th loaf is cooled, drizzle it on. Slice and enjoy!
Notes
