Moist quick bread loaf with fresh blueberries and topped with an easy homemade lemongrass syrup.
Blueberry Lemongrass Quick Bread
By Sue Lau | Palatable Pastime
As a part of the Improv Cooking Challenge this month, in which bloggers are challenged to create a recipe containing the two challenge ingredients, I have decided to share my recipe for Blueberry Lemongrass quick bread with you, which is glazed with a lemongrass syrup made from scratch with fresh lemongrass stalks.
The syrup is very easy to make, pounding the lemongrass to let the aromatics from it get into the syrup as easily as possible and simmering it into a “tea” of sorts, then straining out the lemongrass fibers and adding the appropriate amount of sugar to it to make it a syrup.
The amount makes a little bit extra since I didn’t recall exactly how much syrup the bread would take up. There is an extra half cup which you can store in a jar and use in sweetening teas or as a syrup on other things you like. You could even use it to add extra punch to lemonade.
You might see some damp spots on the bread in the pictures. Don’t worry, that is not under-cooked batter. It is just some of the syrup in the loaf, which has a nice mild lemongrass flavor without being overly sweet or soggy. I think you will like it. We do.
~s
Blueberry Lemongrass Quick Bread
Lemongrass Syrup Ingredients:
- 3 stalks fresh lemongrass
- 3 cups water
- 1-1/2 cups sugar
Lemongrass Syrup Method:
- Trim away the crisp ends of the lemongrass stalks, leaving the light green and white parts only.
- Cut these into manageable pieces 3-4 inches long and pound with a mallet until the fibers separate lightly.
- Place in a saucepan with the water, and cook over moderate heat until water reduces to 3/4 cup (6 fluid ounces).
- Discard lemongrass fibers.
- Stir in the sugar and heat, stirring constantly, until mixture becomes clear; cool completely.
- Store in a container (makes 1-1/2 cups syrup).
Quick Bread Ingredients:
- 5 tablespoons softened butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup lemongrass syrup, divided
- 1/4 cup half and half
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups fresh blueberries
- 3 tablespoons flour
Quick Bread Method:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Cream together the butter and sugar in an electric mixer.
- Add eggs one at a time and let each mix in.
- Add 1/4 cup of the syrup (save the rest for later) and also add the half and half, and vanilla.
- Gradually add in the flour, baking powder and salt.
- Spray a loaf pan with baker’s spray or grease and flour, shaking out excess.
- Rinse the blueberries and let all the water drain off, leaving them just moist, and stir 3 tablespoons of flour in them to coat.
- Fold blueberries into the batter, then pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted and removed without wet batter (don’t count if you stab a blueberry- just try in a different spot).
- Let loaf cool in pan ten minutes, then turn out onto a piece of foil.
- Prick the top all over with a toothpick to make little holes, then ladle the rest of the syrup a little at a time over the loaf, letting it soak in before adding more. You should have about half a cup syrup left from the full batch of syrup- feel free to use this elsewhere, in tea, on pancakes or crepes, etc.
- Refrigerate loaf after applying syrup until it chills.
- Slice into ten pieces.
From the kitchen of palatablepastime.com
#ImprovCookingChallenge: Blueberries & Lemongrass
More Blueberry & Lemongrass Recipes:
The other recipes are linked, but on my platform, you have to click the button to go to that page. If you follow my blog, I am sure you have seen blue froggie before, as several blogging groups I participate in use it. Usually you might see the boxes here, but as I said, my host doesn’t do that. But no problem. 😉
Click on the hop link button to be transported to the other recipes:
That looks delicious, Sue. Of course, you have me dreaming up all sorts of yumminess with the leftover syrup. Thinking of a lemongrass-gin cocktail! Thanks for sharing.
Bill makes all kinds of syrup for his booze drinks and has me doing it, but also for food. I see a lot of it for sale in party stores marked up like you might expect, but so much easier just to make yourself.
Quick breads are a favorite here – this one looks great!