The holiday season is in full swing! Whether you need something to have on hand as an easy breakfast for house guests or a great teacher gift, my blackberry orange muffin bread is a winner! I call it muffin bread because I adapted the recipe from my muffin batter to bake up golden brown in a loaf pan. I’ve wanted to combine orange and blackberry together in some way for a long time. I just wasn’t quite sure how I wanted to bring them together, but, when I needed something quick for some house guests to have for breakfast, I knew this recipe needed to come to life!
The batter for this blackberry orange muffin bread bakes up moist and tender, just like all the HIH muffin recipes you’ve come to know, just in loaf form. The batter is delish, but it’s the orange glaze that steals the show. When you bite into a slice of this bread the light crunch of the sweet tangy glaze awakens your taste buds just in time to then bite into a whole sweet blackberry. A tasty trip all in one bite.
Keys to Success – Blackberries
- Fresh or frozen? The answer comes down to ripeness. Ripe blackberries are the sweetest, but berries are often picked prior to peak ripeness so the shelf life is longer. Once you pick a berry, that’s as sweet as it’s going to get. That’s why you may associate blackberries with a tart or even bitter flavor if you’re purchasing fromm your super market. Frozen berries are picked at peak ripeness before being flash frozen. You can almost guarantee they’ll be perfectly ripe and sweet. If you can get perfectly ripe fresh blackberries, go with fresh! If not, go with the frozen. Just make sure you thaw and blot dry. If they’re really juicy, you can set aside some of the flour from the recipe and toss the berries in the flour to help keep your batter from turning purple.
- Leave ’em whole. My first attempts at this recipe halved the blackberries. Not only did this make my batter completely purple, but it took away from the beautiful texture of a whole blackberry when biting into the bread. I wanted to leave them whole, but found it difficult to scoop a proper berry/batter ratio. That’s where reserving the 15 berries for the top of the loaf comes into this recipe. Not only does this make the batter a little easier to work with when scooping, but the visual aesthetic of a perfectly placed blackberry on top of each muffin makes for great presentation.
Keys to Success – Blackberry Orange Muffin Bread
- Tent with aluminum foil to prevent burning. Since your loaf will spend quite a bit of time in the oven, the top could get a little too brown before the center is completely baked. If you find that your loaf isn’t quite baked through, but the top is perfectly brown, don’t fret! Cover the top of the loaf with aluminum foil to stop the top from browning further and finish the bake.
- Use a deeper loaf pan. Just as you under-fill a muffin tin so the batter doesn’t rise over the edges, you’ll want to make sure the loaf pan is deep enough to allow the batter to rise while baking. This recipe will fit perfectly in a 9″x5″x3″ loaf pan.
- Resist the urge to over mix. Leave the whisk and the hand mixer alone and reach for the rubber spatula. Folding the wet and dry ingredients together with the rubber spatula until JUST combined will make for moist, fluffy, tender muffins.
- Oven rack placement is important. Place the oven rack in the middle of the oven for an even bake. If your loaf pan is too close to the bottom, the bottom could burn. If your loaf is too close to the top, the top could burn. You don’t want either scenario!
Blackberry Orange Bread
Blackberry and orange come together for the perfect loaf of bread for your next breakfast or brunch.
Equipment
- large bowl
- small deep bowl for glazing
- Rubber spatula
- 9"x5"x3" loaf pan
- heat proof 2 cup measuring cup
- fork or whisk
- Measuring cups and spoons
- parchment paper
- non-stick cooking spray
- microplane
Ingredients
Bread
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 5½ tablespoon salted butter cut into chunks
- ¾ cup whole or 2% milk
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 12 oz blackberries, fresh or frozen, thawed and blotted dry
- ½ orange zested and juiced
Orange Glaze
- ½ orange zested and juiced
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Generously spray the loaf pan with non-stick spray, line all sides with parchment paper, then spray another light layer of non-stick spray over the parchment paper.
- Combine the flour, ¾ cup granulated sugar, zest of ½ an orange, baking powder, and baking soda, in a large mixing bowl.
- In a microwave safe measuring cup, melt the butter by microwaving in 15 second intervals until melted.
- Stir the milk into the melted butter with a fork, followed by the beaten egg, vanilla, and orange juice.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into the well. Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients and the went ingredients until just combined.
- Reserve about 15 whole blackberries, then very gently fold the remaining blackberries into the batter.
- Spoon the batter evenly into the loaf pan. Gently even out the top then place the reserved blackberries on top of the loaf.
- Bake for 60-65 minutes until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the muffin comes out clean and dry. If the top of the loaf begins to get too brown, cover with aluminum foil for the remainder of the bake.
- Towards the end of the baking time, combine the powdered sugar and orange juice and zest until a thick glaze is formed in a small bowl. The glaze should coat and very slowly drip off of the back of a spoon. If your glaze is too thick, add more orange juice or water 1 teaspoon at a time. If your glaze is too thin, add an additional tablespoon of powdered sugar until you reach the right consistency.
- Once your loaf is out of the oven, using a fork, poke sets of holes about 1/2" apart all over the top of the loaf. Slowly pour the glaze over the top of the hot loaf. Allow to cool completely, then remove from the loaf pan, slice and enjoy.
Notes
Freezing instructions: wrap each completely cooled loaf tightly in plastic wrap, followed by aluminum foil. Will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. I recommend labeling each loaf with the contents and the date. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in your oven, air fryer, or toaster oven. DO NOT USE AN UPRIGHT TOASTER.
If using frozen berries, it is important to take the time to let them thaw. Cold berries will extend the cooking time and the bottom of your loaf could burn.
Nutrition
Serving: 1sliceCalories: 230kcalCarbohydrates: 41gProtein: 4gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 149mgPotassium: 116mgFiber: 2gSugar: 23gVitamin A: 280IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 52mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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