Blueberry Quick Bread Recipe - Crunchy Creamy Sweet (2024)

FAQs

Why is my blueberry bread crumbly? ›

Your Bread Has Too Much Flour

Adding too much flour is one common mistake for beginning bakers. This produces dry bread with more crumbs. The key is to find a balance between the flour and liquid ingredients in your recipe. It can be tricky because bread recipes don't always give you an exact amount of flour.

Loosen sides of loaf from pan; remove from pan and place top side up on wire rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours, before slicing. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature up to 4 days, or refrigerate up to 10 days.

Storage Tips:

After letting the Blueberry Bread cool completely, I store my bread by placing it on a paper towel in an airtight container and leaving it on the counter for 4-5 days.

Quick breads, unlike yeast breads, rise with the help of quick-acting leavening agents (baking powder, baking soda or a combination of both) and are generally baked as soon as the dough has been mixed. Quick breads can be savory or sweet, depending on the type of bread.

The ingredient that helps bread stay fresh longer is called a ``dough conditioner''. One common dough conditioner used in commercial bread production is called ascorbic acid or Vitamin C. Ascorbic acid helps to strengthen the gluten in the dough, which results in a firmer, more elastic crumb structure.

Too much: If you accidentally overmeasure your baking soda or powder it can also cause your cake or loaf to sink in the middle. High altitude: If you're baking at a higher altitude you'll need less leavening to achieve the same result as sea level. Without proper altitude adjustments, your products may sink.

Clear out some freezer space — we're here to talk about freezing bread! Because this household staple typically goes stale in a matter of days, the freezer is the best option to keep it fresh; it preserves freshly baked bread at its prime.

The reason a refrigerator is bad for bread: When bread is stored in a cold (but above freezing) environment, this recrystallization, and therefore staling, happens much faster than at warmer temperatures. Freezing, however, dramatically slows the process down. So that's the science in a nutshell.

Large crusty loaves can be stored unwrapped (to preserve their crispy crust) at room temperature for a day or so, cut side down on the counter. For optimum long-term storage (longer than a couple of days), wrap bread in single-day portions and freeze.

Overmixing can cause the bread to be chewy and dense. Coat the blueberries with flour before adding them to the batter. This will keep them from sinking to the bottom of the bread. A silicone or rubber spatula works best for stirring the ingredients and folding in the blueberries.

Can I use bread flour instead of all-purpose flour? ›

All-purpose flour is the most common flour called for in recipes, for both cooking and baking. But if you don't have any in the pantry, or can't find any in the store, there are other flours you can use in its place. Bread flour and cake flour—on their own or mixed together—can substitute for all-purpose.

Eggs also act as an emulsifier. By surrounding small particles of fat, the egg helps make the quick bread batter smoother, thus contributing to volume and texture. In addition, when eggs are beaten, they incorporate tiny air bubbles that expand with heat in the oven, contributing to volume.

TIPS FOR MAKING QUICK BREAD

Avoid overmixing the batter as it can lead to tough, dense quick bread that may sink in the middle. Dry baked goods are not enjoyable, so it's always important to closely monitor baking time to prevent overbaking.

Too much flour and not enough water can cause crumbly bread – people often do this if the dough is too sticky and they add more flour rather than kneading through it. Other culprits can be overproving or not kneading enough – the things you need to do to get a good structure.

If you achieved windowpane and you're bread loaf was still crumbly, then it could be an issue of being too dry. In this instance, my recommendation is to add a little bit more fat. My favorite fat to add to my bread is melted butter. I personally love the flavor and extra richness that the butter gives the bread.

When the cell structure doesn't set, the air spaces created by the leavening in the recipe collapses, causing the muffin to sink. Oven temperatures vary over time. To insure the correct temperature each time you bake, always use an oven thermometer. The oven temperature in the recipe may not have been hot enough.

Dry – “Dry” or “Crumbly” dough is a product of over-mixing or using too much of any ingredient during the mixing process. This can be reversed by adding one to two tablespoons of liquid (water, milk or softened butter) to your mix.