It seems like there are almost always a few bananas threatening to over ripen in my kitchen, so I’m pretty much ready to bake a loaf of banana bread at any time.
I’ve been tossing fresh blueberries into my banana bread for years; the juicy little gems studded throughout add the perfect contrasting sweet-tart bite that you probably never knew your banana bread was missing. But it’s not until the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic that I finally perfected my Blueberry Banana Bread. Like the rest of America, I turned to the kitchen in April and May of 2020 when there wasn’t much else to do and started baking; I was baking a new loaf of banana bread each week, slowly tweaking my recipe and adjusting to the ingredients I was able to get. (Remember, at that time, ingredients like flour, butter, and large eggs could be hard to find, especially all at the same time.) For one batch, I was just short of the 2 cups all-purpose flour I usually use, so I subbed in some old-fashioned rolled oats, and I’ve never looked back. The result was a real game changer for my Blueberry Banana Bread; the oats are not noticeable in the bread, but they make for a less dense bread with a pleasing crumb, and they help control the moisture level for an evenly baked bread. With the sweetness of 3 very ripe bananas and over a cup of blueberries, my recipe pulls back a little on the added sugar. For me, this is the yummiest banana bread – it’s perfectly sweet with a pure banana flavor and tangy, juicy pops of blueberries. You might say this banana bread is the berry best ;-)
Blueberry Banana Bread
Ingredients
Bread
1 ½ cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
½ cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¾ teaspoon salt
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3 very ripe large bananas, mashed till smooth (about 1 cup)
2 large eggs
¼ cup milk + 1 teaspoon lemon juice (or ¼ cup buttermilk if you have it)
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
6 oz fresh blueberries (the small clamshell, a little over 1 cup)
Optional Topping
¼ cup old fashioned rolled oats
3 teaspoons cinnamon sugar (I use a 1:6 ratio: 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon, reserving the leftover cinnamon sugar for a future loaf of Blueberry Banana Bread)
2 teaspoons melted butter
How to make Blueberry Banana Bread
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 9x5 loaf pan (butter & flour or parchment).
Add lemon juice to milk and let sit until needed.
Combine 1 ½ cups flour, ½ cup oats, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together in a medium bowl, set aside.
Toss blueberries with 2 tablespoons flour in a small bowl until blueberries are coated, set aside.
With a stand or hand-mixer, cream together sugar and butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Beat in eggs, milk mix/buttermilk, and vanilla. Beat in mashed bananas. Slowly add in dry mixed ingredients until combined. Gently fold in blueberries and remaining flour. Pour into prepared loaf pan and sprinkle topping over top, if using. Bake at 350 for 60 minutes, or until toothpick/wooden skewer comes out clean. Let cool at least 15 minutes before removing from pan, then allow to cool completely on a wire rack before cutting.
Topping: stir together ¼ cup oats, cinnamon sugar, and melted butter until fully combined.
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