Whole Wheat Blueberry (Almond) Bread

Summertime brings lots of fresh fruit to my apartment - or rather, it brings me to berry patches which results in me bringing home lots of fresh fruit. While I use some of the fruit quickly - eaten fresh with yogurt, stirring into scones, mixing into lemonade, or making preserves for future peanut butter and jelly sandwiches - I also store a lot in the freezer to pull out for later. A few weeks back, I was craving some blueberry bread, but wanted something healthier than the muffin-type breads I've made in the past. This loaf fits the bill - whole wheat flour, rolled oats, reduced oil content - and, of course, lots of juicy blueberries. I made the recipe twice over, once in a large loaf with only blueberries, and once in mini loaf pans with both blueberries and almonds. Both came out delicious!

Whole Wheat Blueberry (Almond) Bread (1 large loaf or 3 mini loaves)

2/3 c. packed brown sugar

3/4 c. skim or 1% milk (or try with almond milk, if you are lactose unfriendly or just want a different flavor)

1/4 c. applesauce

1/4 c. canola oil

2 eggs

2 1/4 c. whole wheat flour

1 c. rolled oats

3 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries (if frozen, allow to thaw for 15-30 minutes)

1/2 c. almonds (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease either 1 8-9" loaf pan or 3 mini-loaf pans.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together sugar, milk, applesauce, and eggs.

3. In a large bowl, stir together flour, oats, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

4. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in wet ingredients. Using a wooden spoon, stir until just combined.

5. Fold in blueberries (and almonds, if desired). Pour into prepared pan(s).

6. Bake at 350F for 45-55 min or until a toothpick comes out clean. (I found that the smaller breads took about 45 minutes and the larger bread took about 55-60 minutes). Remove bread from the oven and allow to cool for ~10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the pan and turn out onto a wire rack to continue cooling.

7. Slice and serve with a bit of butter, homemade preserves, or just on its own.

Blueberry Muffins

Still working through the berries from Friday's picking expedition - this time, making fresh blueberry muffins for Sunday morning breakfast. These came out moist and slightly dense, chock full of juicy berries, and perfect either on their own or with just a small bit of butter. They are delicious served warm right out of the oven and hold up well for serving the following day, too.

Blueberry Muffins (~18 muffins)
3 cups flour
1 T. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
10 T. butter, softened (1 1/4 sticks)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 375F and grease (or line with baking cups) approximately 18 muffin cups.

2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

3. In a separate large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each until mixture if fluffy.

4. Add half of dry ingredients to butter and sugar mixture, then add a third of the yogurt, stirring after each addition only until just mixed. Continue by adding half of remaining dry ingredients, a third of the yogurt, the remaining dry ingredients, and the remaining yogurt.

5. Fold in blueberries and stir until just mixed.

6. Pour batter into prepared muffin cups, filling about 2/3 to 3/4 full. If any muffin cups are not filled with batter, fill about halfway with water (this will even out baking).

7. Bake at 375F for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out cleanly. Remove muffin tins from oven and cool for about 10 minutes, then remove muffins to eat or to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Fresh Berries - Raspberry Lemonade and Berry Topping

Since 4th of July falls on a Saturday this year, Friday was a holiday for most folks around here. And for once, the weather in the DC area was gorgeous - temperatures hovered in the 70s or just at 80 for most of the day, the humidity was low, and the sun was shining. Which means it was perfect weather for going berry picking. This time around, I decided to try a new farm, Larriland Farm in Woodbine, MD. Larriland uses integrated pest management, so their fruits generally have much less pesticide burden than other farms. In addition, Larriland has a large selection of fruits and veggies for people to pick. I didn't get around to everything that was in season yesterday, but I did get about 15 pounds of berries - blueberries and three varieties of raspberries (black, purple, and red).

I'll be posting a number of berry recipes resulting from this haul in the coming day. [UPDATE: Recipes are now posted for raspberry-peach smoothie, blueberry muffins, raspberry-white chocolate scones, and black raspberry freezer jam.]

For starters, here are two fairly easy recipes that I'll be bringing to this evening's Fourth of July celebration.

Sparkling Raspberry Lemonade
I can't claim all the credit, since I found this recipe in the July issue of Martha Stewart Living. However, I have switched the proportions around a bit. Also, Martha suggests spiking with vodka, if that's your style.

Raspberry Simple Syrup
4 cups water
2 cups fresh raspberries (I used a mixture of black, purple, and red raspberries)
1 3/4 cups sugar

Sparkling Lemonade
2 quarts lemonade (homemade or storebought)
1 liter sparkling water
Raspberries and mint for garnish

1. Bring water, raspberries, and sugar to a boil in a large saucepan, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally and gently mashing berries as you stir.

2. Strain mixture into a storage container and cool syrup. [Save the mashed berries to eat with yogurt or ice cream.]

3. In a large pitcher or punch bowl, combine raspberry syrup, lemonade, and sparking water. Serve over ice, garnish with fresh raspberries and mint.

Berry Topping (for angel food cake, pound cake, or ice cream)
4 cups berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, etc.)
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. lemon juice

Lightly toss all ingredients together in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Serve berry topping over cake or ice cream and top with whipped cream.