Celebrating National Doughnut Day with doughnut bread.
Happy Thursday, kids, and happy pre-National Doughnut Day! The first I remember hearing about the big arbitrary food holiday was when I lived in Sweden. I don’t exactly know what my source was, probably Tumblr since I was all over the platform in my early 20s…Regardless, I wandered into my local ICA not really expecting to find a good doughnut, but hoping nonetheless.
To my delight, the workers in the store were hauling over a cart of treats and a sign that read something-something Doughnut Dag (Day). I bought a chocolate glazed round and happily carted it home to enjoy on what I think was one of my final days in the country.
Ever since Doughnut Day is an occasional to which I pay rapt attention, and this year my contribution is not exactly traditional, but demands your consideration.
Why doughnut bread? The batter is soft like a baked doughnut, rippled with streusel like coffee cake, and hinted with lemon like a classic coffeehouse loaf. Honestly, it’s the lovechild of three treats wrapped into one dynamic, delicious, simple delight. I named it doughnut bread mainly for the SEO. What can I say.
Whether you agree with my vernacular or no, I encourage you to bake this Blueberry Lemon Streusel Doughnut Bread this weekend. It’s an impressive piece for a brunch party or for a midday boost.
Donut Be Sad, Make Bread
This loaf contains three parts: batter, streusel, and blueberries.
First, prep the streusel and pop in the fridge so it remains chilled. Toss brown sugar, cold cubed butter, flour, and cinnamon, cutting the butter with a fork, pastry cutter, or clean fingers until lumps no larger than a pea remain.
Next, the loaf batter. In the bottom of your mixing bowl, sift sugar and lemon zest together until combined. Doing this first helps the zest incorporate more evenly into your loaf. Then, whip in vegetable oil, followed by eggs, vanilla, and plain Greek yogurt. Add in flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Toss fresh or frozen blueberries (if frozen, do not thaw first) with a bit of flour. This prevents the berries from sinking into the bottom of the loaf when baked. Think of the flour as a floatation device for the fruit.
Grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with butter or oil. Pour in half of the batter, then sprinkle half the blueberries and half the streusel overtop. Repeat with the remaining batter – ensuring the shit in the center is fully covered by your second layer of batter – berries, and streusel.
Bake at 350 degrees for 60-65 minutes. I like to start checking at 50-55 minutes in case my oven decides to be temperamental. When your skewer contains just a few crumbs after poking through the center of the loaf, your bread is officially ready to pull out of the heat chamber.
Cool in the pan for about 20 minutes, then run a knife around the edges to loosen the loaf and flip onto a wire rack. Push back upright, and cool for 25 minutes or so before slicing. The center of the bread will still be very warm and apt to collapse if you cut too soon. Patience, darlings!
Serve with a pat of butter, a mug of tea or coffee, or just as is.
Leftovers? Cool the loaf completely, slice, and seal in a large ziptop bag or storage container. Slices will keep in the fridge or up to a week and the freezer up to 3 months. Keep in mind the streusel will probably lose its crunch and sink into the slices. Still tasty, but a bit wetter in texture.
Glaze option: I didn’t feel the need for a glaze, but if you do, my favorite is a lemony spread. Mix together 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, and water or milk as needed to thin. The glaze should be on the thicker side, like molasses. Drizzle of your warm loaf for an extra bit of tart and sweetness!
Happy brunching!
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
I loaf these brunch breads:
Classic Chocolate Chunk Zucchini Bread
Peanut Butter Cup Banana Bread
Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Cinnamon Crunch Chai Banana Bread
blueberry lemon streusel doughnut bread
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups + 1 tbsp all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
streusel
- 2/3 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 stick butter, cubed
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 2 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with butter or oil.
- In a bowl, cut the cubed butter with the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon until pieces no larger than a pea remain. Set in the fridge while you prep the bread batter.
- In a large bowl, sift together the sugar and lemon zest. Add the oil and beat until combined, when whip in the eggs, one at a time, vanilla, and yogurt. Mix in the 1 1/2 cups of flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Toss the blueberries with the remaining tablespoon of flour. Measure half of the loaf batter into the prepared pan, then sprinkle half the blueberries and half the streusel overtop. Spread the remaining batter, carefully covering all the filling, then the blueberries and the rest of the streusel.
- Bake for 60-65 minutes. Start checking the loaf at 50 minutes for doneness. The bread is ready when an inserted skewer emerges with just a few moist crumbs (and maybe a burst blueberry. That shit happens). Cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then flip onto a wire rack and invert rightside up. Cool another 25-30 minutes.
- Slice and serve warm with butter, or as is with no additional garnishes!
