This Poppy Seed Bread with Blueberries is sweet, tender, and chock full of juicy berries and nutty poppy seeds!

This Almond Poppy Seed Bread  Recipe makes two tasty loaves, one to eat immediately and one to give away or freeze for later.

Overhead view of sliced blueberry poppy seed bread.

Why You Must Make

  • Take advantage of the fresh, plump blueberries available in the summer and treat yourself to some blueberry bread.
  • This makes two loaves so there’s an extra to use as a hostess gift or for the freezer.
  • The almond extract makes this blueberry poppy seed bread so yummy!!!
Two slices of blueberry bread on a white plate in front of a loaf on a serving tray.

Tips for Making 

  • PRO-Tip: As with most baking recipes, have all your ingredients at room temperature, especially the eggs, but also the milk.
  • Prep your pans well so the loaves release easily. Spray with non-stick flour and oil spray like Baker’s Joy. I also like to place a piece of parchment paper in the bottom of each loaf pan.
  • This recipe can also be made in 4 mini loaf pans (5 x 3-inches). This makes them perfect for gifts. They will take 45 minutes to an hour to bake, depending on your oven.
  • PRO-Tip: Dust your blueberries with flour to prevent them all from sinking to the bottom of the loaf while baking. If you use more than a light dusting, it’s best to subtract the amount of flour used to coat the berries from the total amount in the recipe.
  • Cool the loaves on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing them from the pans. If you let them cool too long, they may not release well.
  • These are not packed full of poppy seeds, so if you’d like a little more crunch in your bread, try 3 tablespoons instead of 1½.
  • You may want to increase your blueberries from 1 to 1½ cups, too.
Poppy Seed Bread with Blueberries ingredients labeled and on a metal tray

Ingredient Notes:

  • Vegetable Oil – Use a neutral oil like Canola oil. Olive oil has too much flavor.
  • Baking Powder – Baking powder usually expires while sitting in your panty. It’s not used as frequently as baking powder. Check the date, and replace if it’s close to the expiration date. You can test it by placing a spoonful in a bowl of very hot water. It will bubble vigorously if it’s fresh.
  • Sugar – You may decrease sugar to 2 cups if you don’t like your bread too sweet.
  • Salt – I prefer table salt for baking.
  • Poppy Seeds – Make sure they aren’t too old or rancid, by giving them a sniff or tasting a few.
  • Fresh Blueberries – Should be plump with a nice sheen

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Quick Bread?

Quick bread is bread that doesn’t require kneading or rising time to make, so it takes much less time to bake than yeast bread. Instead of yeast, baking powder or baking soda help the bread rise when combined with liquid and/or heat. Biscuits, muffins, and popovers are other types of quick bread.

How Do You Select the Best Blueberries?

Buy blueberries when in season, which in the U.S. is from May to early October. They should be “firm, uniform in size, indigo blue with a silvery frost,” according to the Food Lover’s Companion. Watch for and remove any moldy, very soft, or shriveled berries.

How Do You Know When a Quick Bread is Done?

Use your recipe as a guideline for when to start checking your bread. First, you should smell the aroma of the bread wafting from the oven. Use a toothpick and insert it into the crack along the middle of the loaf.
If there’s any batter on the toothpick when it’s removed, add some more baking time and recheck in 5-10 minutes, depending on how the center of the bread looks. Repeat again as needed.

Can Poppy Seeds Go Bad?

Yes, since poppy seeds have a high oil content, they can go rancid quickly. Store them in the refrigerator for up to 6 months. I’ve kept mine longer, so taste and smell them before using, especially if they’ve been lingering in your pantry for years.

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Blueberry Poppy Seed Bread slices on a square white plate with a red handled knife.

Poppy Seed Bread with Blueberries Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Additional Time 10 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Yield 2 loaves

A sweet almond poppy seed bread packed with sweet, juicy blueberries.

Ingredients

  • 1 ⅓ cups vegetable oil, plus more for brushing
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 ½ cups sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ cups whole milk, at room temperature
  • 3 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 ½ tablespoons poppy seeds
  • 1 ½ teaspoons almond extract
  • 1 ½ teaspoons real vanilla extract
  • 1 cup fresh blueberries

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans with Baker's Joy or butter and flour. Set aside.
  1. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
  2. In a stand mixer fit with the paddle attachment, beat the milk, vegetable oil, eggs, poppy seeds, and extracts on medium speed until combined.
  3. Gradually beat in the flour mixture until well combined. Fold the blueberries into the batter with a rubber spatula.
  4. Divide the batter among the prepared pans and bake until golden on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 ½ hours or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of each loaf comes out clean.
  5. Transfer the pans to a rack and let cool for about 10 minutes, then remove the cakes to the rack to let cool completely.

Notes

  • Adapted from Food Network.com
  • This recipe will make 4 mini loaves in 5 x3-inch pans. Bake for about 1 hour.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

24

Serving Size:

1 slice

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 406Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 103mgCarbohydrates: 52gFiber: 1gSugar: 33gProtein: 5g

Thatskinnychickcanbake.com occasionally offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although thatskinnychickcanbake.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased can change the nutritional information in any given recipe. Also, many recipes on thatskinnychickcanbake.com recommend toppings, which may or may not be listed as optional and nutritional information for these added toppings is not listed. Other factors may change the nutritional information such as when the salt amount is listed “to taste,” it is not calculated into the recipe as the amount will vary. Also, different online calculators can provide different results. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information obtained is accurate.

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