This Blueberry Poppy Seed is a delicious almond flavored sweet bread that is bursting with juicy blueberries, and a subtle crunch from poppy seeds. It’s a perfect balance of a soft crumb, and sweet flavors. Perfect for breakfast, an afternoon snack, or a simple dessert. Plus the bright pop of the orange glaze gives it an extra fresh flavor.
This Blueberry Poppy Seed Bread is such a great sweet to make at home. It makes two loaves, so you can have one to eat now, and one to give away to your friends (or freeze for later).
Why make this Recipe
- Moist and Tender Crumb: The texture of the crumb is extra soft and tender thanks to using vegetable oil and buttermilk in the batter.
- Fresh Flavors: Packed with fresh, plump blueberries (grab the ripest ones in the summer!) and topped with a fresh orange glaze. It’s a wonderful mix of flavors, that taste extra fresh in the spring or summer!
- Quick and Easy: It’s called a “quick bread” for a reason, that means its made similar to a muffin batter with no yeast, no rising time, and basically in one bowl! (The glaze gives you an extra bowl) but its basically stirring, dumping, and baking and voila!
Ingredients Needed
This is a quick overview of some of the ingredients you’ll need for this Blueberry Poppy Seed Bread Recipe. Specific measurements and full recipe instructions are in the printable recipe card below.
- all purpose flour – spoon and level for the best accurate measuring
- baking powder – to help the bread rise nicely
- vegetable oil – this recipe uses vegetable oil to add extra moisture to the bread, you can add butter instead for a richer flavor
- almond extract – adds a classic flavor that is loved with poppy seed desserts
- buttermilk – helps give the bread the perfect texture
- poppyseeds – adds a slight crunchy texture, and a little nutty flavor
- blueberries – I recommend using fresh, but if you use frozen add them straight to the batter without thawing
- orange juice – use fresh orange juice for the best flavor
How to make Poppy Seed Bread with Blueberries?
Step 1: Make the Muffin Batter. Combine the Dry Ingredients. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and set aside. Combine the sugar, and oil in a bowl and mix together for a couple of minutes. Add in the eggs one at a time, and then add in the butter, almond extract, and vanilla extract. Mix them Together. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients until combined. Then mix in the buttermilk and stir it gently into the batter. Add the blueberries and poppyseed and mix gently into the batter.
Step 2: Bake the Loafs. Divide the batter into two greased 9×5 loafs. Sprinkle a few extra blueberries on top of the cakes. Bake until the top is lightly golden and a toothpick can be inserted and comes out clean.
Step 3: Top with Orange Glaze. Combine the ingredients for the glaze in a small sauce pan and cook over medium low heat until the sugar is dissolved, stirring often. Drizzle the glaze over the top of the loaves and spoon any extra that falls off back on the loaves so you can really enjoy it all.
Tips and Tricks:
- Use Room Temperature Ingredients: Bring the butter, eggs, sour cream, and buttermilk to room temperature for about 30 minutes before making the batter to allow everything to mix together evenly, and give your cake a better texture.
- Don’t Overmix: Mix the batter until it is just combined to ensure that its not too heavy and dense.
- Mini Loaves: You can also make the bread in mini loaf pans which are 5×3 inch pans. You can make about 5 mini loves which will be baked for 30-40 minutes.
Storage Instructions
Store the bread wrapped with plastic wrap, or in an airtight container for up to 3 days. You can also freeze the loaves, I recommend freezing individual slices so you can thaw what you need, for up to 3 months. Wrap them each in plastic wrap then place them in a freezer safe bag. You can thaw them at room temperature until soft, or microwave for a few seconds until warm.
This blueberry and poppyseed bread is an easy and delicious sweet bread that is perfect for so many occasions! Enjoy it warm out of the oven, or toasted with a little butter, I promise you’ll want to make it again and again! This bread is so delicious that you won’t be able to stop eating it either. Inspired by this recipe from The Girl Who Ate Everything.
More Blueberry Recipes
Blueberry Poppy Seed Sweet Bread Recipe
Ingredients
For the Blueberry Poppyseed Bread:
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
- 1 TBS melted butter
- 1 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1 1/2 TBS poppy seeds
For the Orange Glaze:
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1 TBS melted butter
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
Instructions
For the Blueberry Poppyseed Bread:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease two 9×5 loaf pans liberally, and set aside.
- Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and set aside. 3 cups all purpose flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt
- Combine the sugar and oil in another bowl and mix together for a couple minutes. 2 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup vegetable oil
- Add in the eggs, one at a time until combined. Then add in the melted butter, almond extract, and vanilla extract. 3 eggs, 1 TBS melted butter, 1 1/2 tsp almond extract, 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Combine the wet and the dry ingredients, until just mixed. Then mix in the buttermilk gently into the batter. 1 cup buttermilk
- Add the blueberries, and poppyseeds and very gently fold them into the batter. 1 cup blueberries,
- Divide the batter into the two greased loaf pans. Sprinkle a few extra blueberries on top of the bread.
- Bake the loaves for about 50-70 minutes, or until the tops are golden in color and a toothpick can be inserted in the middle, and comes out clean.
- Allow the bread to cool for 10 minutes in pans before carefully removing to a wire cooling rack to cool another 10 minutes.
For the Orange Glaze:
- Combine all the glaze ingredients in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Cook until sugar dissolves. Stirring often. 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup orange juice, 1 TBS melted butter, 1/2 tsp almond extract, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Pour the glaze over the warm bread, spooning any that drips off the sides back onto the bread so you can enjoy it all.
Nutrition
This Blueberry Poppy Seed Bread was first posted on June 11, 2012. The photo and blog text were updated for clarity on February 4, 2025.
Tammy says
is the degree on oven correct? I put it in the oven for 50 minutes on 325 and it is still raw. I upped the temp to 375 for another 30 waiting to see if that helps
Aimee says
How did it turn out?
Dorothy says
how about printer-friendly versions of this?
Aimee Berrett says
Dorothy, we just started adding the printer friendly option to our recipes, we have started from the beginning going back so we haven’t gotten to this recipe yet, as it is a long process with over 400 recipes. However, I’ll go add this one in today for ya!