Ginger-Studded Blueberry Bread Recipe

Blueberries are often combined with lemon in muffins, cakes, and beverages, but recipe developer Patterson Watkins prefers to add ginger to the blueberries in this quick bread. She calls the two "a dynamic duo in both flavor and nutritional benefits." The health benefits of eating ginger include aiding with digestion and helping to lower cholesterol. And blueberries are a great source of vitamins C and K.

When it comes to unexpected ingredients to pair with blueberries, ginger might be one. But Watkins says, "The sweet burst of blueberry and the tangy pops of aromatic ginger really make this loaf a way above average option." She suggests serving it for breakfast, brunch, or afternoon tea and feels that it goes particularly well with chai, floral teas, and green teas as well as black teas. If you'd like to accompany this quick bread with a beverage that directly reflects its flavors, you could try it with ginger tea or a blueberry-flavored coffee, although it would also taste great with the ginger ale you'll have left over after making the sweet ginger glaze.

The quick bread itself is made from the usual suspects: flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, buttermilk, eggs, vanilla extract, and vegetable oil. For flavoring, Watkins adds blueberries and two types of ginger, both fresh and crystallized. As a final touch, the bread is drizzled with a glaze made from powdered sugar and ginger ale.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Coat a loaf pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper.

Place flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk to combine.

Place buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, and oil in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Whisk to combine.

Add the blueberries, fresh ginger, and crystalized ginger to the bowl. Stir until combined.

Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and spread in an even layer. Place in the oven and bake for 60 to 65 minutes or until cooked through. To check for doneness, Insert a toothpick in the center of the loaf. If the toothpick comes out clean, the bread is ready.

Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool, about 1 to 2 hours.

Make the glaze: Place the powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of ginger ale and whisk to combine. If the glaze is too thick, add another tablespoon of ginger ale.

Once the loaf has cooled, remove from the pan. Loosen the parchment paper to release from the edges and sides of the loaf.

Spoon the glaze over the cooled loaf and place in the refrigerator to set, about 10 minutes.

Slice, discard the parchment, and serve the loaf.

When it comes to pouring the glaze over the cooled blueberry ginger loaf, Watkins has a tip to share with us. "My personal preference, for loaves like these," she says, "is to capture as much yummy glaze near the loaf as possible." For this reason, she just separates the parchment paper from the sides of the bread and keeps it attached at the bottom. That way when she glazes the loaf, the paper will catch any drips.

If you don't want too much glaze on your bread, you could either make less of it or remove the parchment paper completely so the excess glaze can drip through the wire rack. There is, however, another benefit to keeping the paper in place. Watkins points out if you slice the bread while it's still sitting on the parchment, the paper captures any crumbs. And that makes for an easier cleanup.

Candied or crystallized ginger are often used interchangeably. There is, however, a slight difference between the two. While both types of ginger are chopped and cooked in sugar syrup until they soften, crystallized ginger is taken out of the syrup and rolled in sugar to allow it to build up a sweet and crunchy coating.

Crystallized ginger is what you really want for this recipe. The reason why the crystallized kind is better for this blueberry loaf, Watkins explains, is because the sugar coating allows for better suspension within the batter. (Although the crunchy outer surface softens as the bread bakes.) Since crystallized ginger has a milder flavor, Watkins adds some chopped fresh ginger to the mix to provide the bread with a bit more bite. Though be mindful of mistakes when cooking with fresh ginger, like using a piece that's gone bad.