Blueberry Crumble Bread

My younger sister was married last weekend in a beautiful flora-filled, woodland-themed wedding. As the maid of honor, I spent the last couple weeks dedicated to last minute wedding planning. Along with throwing a bridal shower, my waking hours were filled with running errands, assembling welcome boxes, and crafting table decorations to minimize the stress on the bride. All the behind-the-scenes work was worthwhile, as the wedding day went by effortlessly and my sister and new brother-in-law never stopped smiling.

As a gift to the happy couple, I baked all of the cupcakes for the wedding—vanilla bean, chocolate, coconut, and dulce de leche. Even though I used to work in a bakery and could whip up large numbers of cupcakes in a few hours, it was a new experience doing so with the single-batch equipment of a home baker. Eighteen pounds of butter later, I breathed an audible sigh of relief that the recipes held up when quadrupled and hugged my KitchenAid mixer after it whipped Swiss meringue buttercream on high for a solid three hours. At the wedding, the cupcakes disappeared quickly, which is the best compliment a baker can receive.

After a busy couple of weeks, it feels good to take time for myself to relax. One of the benefits of being a teacher is the summer vacations, and I have been treating this week as a much needed holiday. Stretching out under the sun with a good book, and spending time in the kitchen playing around with new ideas has consumed my time. As an extension to these lazy mornings, I baked up this Blueberry Crumble Bread and have been enjoying a slice as I fill out Sudoku puzzles in the daily paper.

My productive side will come out soon, but for now I'm enjoying this rare slow, languid pace of life.

Blueberry Crumble Bread is a great addition to breakfast or served as an afternoon snack. A moist, vanilla-scented bread is bursting with fresh blueberries. The sweet crumble on top features ground cinnamon, which enhances the natural flavor of the berries. Serve the bread alongside a cup of coffee or tall glass of milk, and share with a good friend. 

One Year Ago: Scenes from NYC, Blueberry Oat Crumble Muffins, & S'mores Tarts
Two Years Ago: Chocolate Cacao Banana Bread, Chocolate Espresso Custard & Mixed Berry Quinoa Crumble
Three Years Ago: Boozy Margarita Lime Cake, Double Chocolate Muffins, Rhubarb Ginger Bars, Nutty Rhubarb Oatmeal, & Dill Dinner Rolls
Four Years Ago: Cherry Almond Granola, Vegan Chocolate Chunk Cookies, Cherry Cream Cheese Muffins, Blueberry Breakfast Quinoa, Vegan Brownies, & Banana PB Smoothie
Five Years Ago: Cinnamon Raisin Baked French Toast, Chocolate Almond Oat Bars, Tropical Vacation Cocktail, Dried Blueberry Granola, & Bizcochitos
Six Years Ago: Bittersweet Chocolate Sherbet, Rhubarb Jam, & Tapioca Pudding

Blueberry Crumble Bread

Yields 1 loaf

Blueberry Bread
1/2 cup (113 grams) butter
2/3 cup (130 grams) granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour
1 cup (250 mL) milk
2 cups (340 grams) fresh blueberries*

Crumble Topping
3 tablespoons (45 grams) butter
1/3 cup (65 grams) granulated sugar
2/3 cup (83 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan and set aside.

For the blueberry bread, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy in a large mixing bowl. Add the egg and vanilla and beat to combine. Stir in baking powder, salt, flour, and milk. Gently fold in blueberries. Transfer batter to the prepared pan and set aside.

For the crumble topping, beat together butter and sugar until well combined. Stir in flour and cinnamon. Crumble the topping evenly over the batter. Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until crumble topping browns and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 15-20 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

*Frozen blueberries can also be used, but note that the berries will dye the entire bread a shade of indigo.

Blueberry Oat Crumble Muffins

I spent the last week fitting my one bedroom apartment into boxes. Sealed with packing tape and stacked into tall, quivering towers, they fill a small 10" by 10" storage unit, awaiting next month's big move. I am displaced until then, spending time with family and traveling in the interim. With a job offer to teach in another location, it is time to leave the small town life for a bustling city. This change, however, is more bittersweet than expected. Though I resisted it madly in the beginning, this small town of mine—population 3,000—grew on me.  

We put down roots whether or not we mean to; we find a way to feel like we belong.

I will miss many things about this place. The two minute commute to work each morning. The two minute commute to anywhere in town. The honor system farmer's market (a table of fresh vegetables sits alone in a vacant parking lot, with a box to collect payment. If only everywhere could be so honest). The smells emanating from the food factory in the center of town (some days, the pervasive scent of dog food—blech—but on the rare days it smells like chocolate or gumdrops, it feels as if Willy Wonka's factory is just down the street). The realization that living in a small town does not mean you live a small life. 

But, most of all, I will miss the people. The welcoming, caring, animated souls who made this place home for the last two years.

When I first arrived to this town, I nervously baked up a batch of granola bars, wondering if I had made the right decision in moving here. Oats were (and are) a comfort food to me, familiarity in a world that was both strange and new. It seemed fitting that the last pan to come out of my small apartment kitchen were these oat-filled muffins. They are a means to say goodbye and turn the page on a new chapter in my life.

Blueberry Oat Crumble Muffins are bursting with blueberries and a bright aroma. Oats, which are grounded down to a flour, give a hearty flavor to the final product. Topped with a cinnamon crumble, the muffins are complete. Serve with a spread of butter or simply eat them plain, both methods will do just fine.

One Year Ago: Mango Margarita, Chocolate Cacao Nib Banana Bread, and Chocolate Espresso Custard
Two Years Ago: Rhubarb Vanilla Pound Cake, Boozy Margarita Lime Cake, Double Chocolate Muffins, and Rhubarb Ginger Bars
Three Years Ago: Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies, Coconut Nutmeg Pudding, Lavender Lemonade, Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes, and Cherry Almond Granola
Four Years Ago: Honey Peach Boba Tea, Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies, Garlic Parmesan Pull-Apart Bread, and Cinnamon Raisin Baked French Toast
Five Years Ago: Bittersweet Chocolate Sherbet, Rhubarb Jam, and Tapioca Pudding

Blueberry Oat Crumble Muffins

Yields 1 dozen muffins

Blueberry Oat Muffins
1/4 cup (50 grams) coconut oil, liquid state
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (50 grams) brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (68 grams) oat flour *
3/4 cup (95 grams) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (177 ml) milk
6 ounces (170 grams) fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Line a muffin tin with paper liners.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the coconut oil and sugars until uniform. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Gradually add the dry ingredients (cinnamon, baking powder, salt, oat flour, all-purpose flour) alternatively with the milk until smooth. Stir in the fresh blueberries. Set aside.

Oat Crumble Topping
2 tablespoons coconut oil, liquid state
2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup (30 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (45 grams) old fashioned oats
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a small bowl, mix together all crumble ingredients until uniform.

Fill each muffin liner 3/4 full of batter. Sprinkle approximately 1 tablespoon of crumble topping on each and bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

* To make oat flour, place old fashioned oats in a food processor and process until oats are a fine powder.

Mixed Berry Quinoa Crumble

Around each March, when I feel as if winter will never end and the snow will never melt, I throw a package or two of berries into my basket at the market. It's an impulse buy—the berries may be brightly colored, but the flavor is so faint and lacking I often feel as if I shouldn't have bothered in the first place. Yet, year after year, the berries are there, a reminder that summer is a few months away, even if the weather outdoors does not reflect it. The berries carry memories of happy moments, long afternoons, and picnics out on the porch.

And now, finally, my basket is overflowing with berries of all kinds. 

The last few days have been cold and windy. I've stayed indoors, buried in books, and enjoying the heat from the oven, a rarity in these summer months. To take advantage, I've taken out the mixing bowls and have been working on whipping up a few desserts here and there.

Lately, I've had a tendency to go a little overboard when buying berries and this week was no exception. I like to throw a handful blueberries in my breakfast each morning. I enjoy eating blackberries slowly, with a side of chocolate. But when these habits aren't enough to to make the berries disappear, I gather the rest together, cover them with a crunchy topping, and bake them up until the juices begin to sizzle.

Crumbles are one of my favorite ways to enjoy fruit. While any fruit could really be used, berries are the most reminiscent of summer to me. While I prefer to eat mine cold and plain, straight from the refrigerator, crumbles are just as nice served warm with a topping of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. With the holiday weekend coming up, the natural color scheme of this particular version seems like an apt way to celebrate. 

Mixed Berry Quinoa Crumble is a wonderful way to use up summer berries. Whether fresh or frozen, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, and raspberries come together with a crumble topping to create a simple dessert. With the red and blue berries, this dessert can make a great addition to your Independence Day celebrations.

One Year Ago: Dill Dinner Rolls, Sparkling Lemon Drop, and Berry Cheesecake Tarts
Two Years Ago: Multigrain Bread, Blueberry Lemon Crumble, and Vanilla Cupcakes
Three Years Ago: Baby Sugar Cookies, Strawberry Smoothie, and Strawberry Rhubarb Lemonade
Four Years Ago: Strawberry Panna Cotta, Tapioca Pudding, and Blueberry & Raspberry Tartlets

Mixed Berry Quinoa Crumble

Yields 6-8 servings

24 ounces (680 grams) fresh or frozen berries
1/3 cup (75 grams) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon lemon juice
4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1/4 cup (50 grams) brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup (85 grams) quinoa, uncooked
1/2 cup (45 grams) old fashioned oats
1/4 cup (25 grams) sliced or chopped almonds
Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the berries, sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch, and lemon juice until evenly coated. Transfer the berries to a deep pie pan. Set aside.

In another mixing bowl, beat together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the quinoa, oats, almonds, and salt until evenly mixed. Using your fingers, tear off small pieces of dough and sprinkle it evenly over the top of the berries.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the top is browned and the berries have released their juices. Allow to cool before serving. When serving, top with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or leave it plain. To store, cover and keep refrigerated.