What to Do with 8.5 lbs. of Blueberries

The first time I made this gluten free blueberry zucchini bread was in in 2013. I was recovering from an injury that August, which seems to be right on schedule for me. I had fallen down the stairs at my church and severely sprained my ankle.

As I hate crutches, I convinced my husband to bring up my rolling desk chair, which was in the basement. It became my personal scooter/wheelchair. It’s handy for when you want to do the dishes and make lunch.

Or make gluten-free blueberry zucchini bread because you recently picked 8.5 lbs of blueberries and you’re bored out of your mind.

What’s that you say? Your zucchini crop is starting to come in gangbusters? Yep, this gluten-free blueberry zucchini bread is definitely a necessity. (P.S. – The rolling chair also makes your dog look at you funny as he’s wondering WHAT on earth you’re doing.)

Inspiration for this Blueberry Zucchini Bread

I found this blueberry zucchini bread recipe on AllRecipes.com. For my loaf, I made many substitutions, including cutting the recipe in half. I used one of my new go-to gluten-free flours, King Arthur Baking Measure for Measure Flour.

I also substituted the oil with a 1/2 applesauce, 1/2 oil combo, just like in my applesauce bundt cake. The recipe appeared overly sweet, therefore I used half white sugar and half brown sugar, but less than the total amount listed in the original recipe.

Because I subbed some of the oil for applesauce, I also used fewer eggs than called for in the recipe. In many vegan recipes, applesauce is substituted for eggs.

Shredding & Squeezing Your Zucchini

I recently purchased a Hamilton Beach food processor, and it made mixing this recipe a breeze. I’ve never seen zucchini shred so easily!

However, if you don’t have one, you can shred your zucchini by hand with a box grater. (Just watch your knuckles and your finger tips!) I used almost a pound of fresh zucchini (one large), to equal the one cup, squeezed, needed for this recipe.

To make this gluten-free blueberry zucchini bread turn our perfectly, you want to squeeze the excess water out of it. (Just like in my cauliflower pizza.)

I shredded the zucchini first, then placed it in a clean kitchen towel, and squeezed out the excess water. I also rolled my blueberries in a little bit of cornstarch. This prevents your blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the loaf.

Streusel or Glaze- Yay or Nay?

Quite a few people suggested coating the top with a streusel mixture of flour, sugar and cinnamon. However, I think this gluten free blueberry zucchini bread is absolutely perfect on its own.

If you’d like to make these more portable, you could easily bake these as muffins. Just follow the guidelines I shared from King Arthur Flour in my Gluten-Free Banana Cinnamon Chip Muffins

If you’d like, you can make a quick glaze for this bread using 1/2 c. powdered sugar and 1 tbsp of milk. Did you know you can make your own powdered sugar? Simply put granulated sugar in a spice blender, and grind until powdered! I like it so much better than store bought, which can sometimes have a funny after taste.

Can I Make This Recipe Dairy Free? Egg Free?

As written, this recipe contains no dairy. It does contain one egg. While I have not tried it, a flax egg (1 tbsp + 3 tbsp water) should work. You could also use an egg replacer such as Bob’s Red Mill. Or try this vegan zucchini bread from Rhian’s Recipes. Looking for a grain free recipe? Try this Paleo Zucchini Bread recipe from Downshiftology.

Other Gluten Free Blueberry Recipes

Picking blueberries has become quite the tradition for us. Therefore I have lots of blueberry themed recipes on my site. From Grain Free Blueberry Pie, to Blueberry Pancake Casserole, and Blueberry Hand Pies, there’s bound to be something you like! My gluten free cream cheese stuffed, Blueberry French Toast Casserole is a favorite even among gluten eaters!

More Gluten Free Quick Bread Recipes

Looking for other quick bread recipes? My gluten free Peanut Butter Bread is quick and easy. What the Fork is the queen of quick bread, and she has a great gluten free zucchini bread recipe. Her Gluten Free Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread sounds fantastic, too!  Needing an egg free recipe? Try this Gluten Free Vegan Zucchini Bread recipe from Sarah Bakes Gluten Free.

Print

Gluten Free Blueberry Zucchini Bread

Equipment

• King Arthur, Measure for Measure Flour 3 Pounds
• Wilton Medium Loaf Baking Pan – 8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″
• Hamilton Beach Food Processor

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup gluten-free flour I used King Arthur Measure for Measure
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp Chinese 5 Spice or cinnamon
• 1 cup shredded and squeezed zucchini
• 1 cup blueberries tossed in 1 tbsp corn starch

Wet Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. lemon extract or vanilla
• 1/3 c brown sugar
• 1/2 c white sugar
• 1/4 c oil
• 1/4 c applesauce
• 1 tbsp lemon zest optional

Instructions

• Shred zucchini in a food processor or with a box grater. Transfer zucchini to a bowl lined with cheesecloth or a towel. Gather fabric around zucchini and squeeze out excess water. Return to bowl and allow to dry further.
• In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking soda and powder, and spices. Add shredded zucchini and toss to coat. Then set aside. 
• In a small bowl combine egg, lemon (or vanilla) extract, sugars, oil and applesauce. If using dried lemon zest, add to wet ingredients and allow to rehydrate for 10-15 minutes. 
• Next, coat blueberries in one tablespoon of cornstarch to prevent them from sinking as they bake. The cornstarch also acts as a drying and binding agent to counteract some of the moisture released by the blueberries as it bakes. 
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and stir to combine. 
• Gently fold blueberries into the batter.
• Allow batter to rest for 30 minutes. This helps the flour to fully absorb the moisture and fat. Don't skip this step. It will allow for a better and more uniform rise to your bread. While the batter is resting, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease a 9×5 pan and gently transfer the batter to the loaf pan.
• Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes. (I usually check it 30 minutes and rotate the pan 180 degrees.) Remove from the oven to cool, in pan, for 15 minutes, on its side. Then, remove loaf from pan to cool completely for 2-3 hours. (Or overnight.)

What’s your favorite type of quick bread? And what are your favorite ways to use zucchini? My friends keep dropping them off!

**This post contains affiliate links. Purchases made through those links help support this blog with no extra expense to you. Thank you for your continued support!**

Originally Published August 2013

The post Gluten Free Blueberry Zucchini Bread appeared first on MI Gluten Free Gal.

What is PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter?

When I first saw the peanut butter bread on the Glen and Friends You Tube channel, I knew I had to try it. Since it contains no eggs, it easily scaled down to a smaller batch. Like Glen, I agreed that it needed more “peanut butter” flavor. However, I was concerned about upsetting the balance of liquids and fats by adding more peanut butter.

Which lead me to add PB2 powdered peanut butter to the batter. PB2 takes roasted peanuts, presses the oils from them, and then grinds the rest to a powder. It resembles a powder similar in texture to cocoa powder.  The general rule in turning a “yellow cake” into a chocolate one is to swap out equal parts of flour for cocoa powder. Therefore, I took out 1/4 cup of the flour from Glen’s recipe, and substituted the PB2. It worked great, and deepened the peanut flavor in this bread.

If you don’t have PB2, simply use 2 cups of gluten free flour, instead of 1 3/4.

This Gluten Free Peanut Butter Bread makes an amazing PB +J!

Can You Make This Bread Without Dairy and Eggs?

This gluten free peanut butter bread uses no eggs. (No yeast, either.) However, it does require the use of milk. I did make this bread using Cup 4 Cup flour, which is now dairy free. This recipe works well with King Arthur Flour Measure for Measure, which contains no dairy. To substitute the milk, I would try canned coconut milk, either full fat or lite.

Can You Make This Bread Without Peanut Butter?

Great question. I don’t know. In theory, if you can’t have peanuts, I think other nut butters might work.  I think I would attempt almond butter, like I did in these Almond Butter Chai Cookies.  If you can’t tolerate any nuts, you can try SunButter. However, it might turn your baked goods green. For this recipe, I used natural peanut butter, with no added hydrogenated oils.

Turn this Gluten Free Peanut Butter Bread into Gluten Free French Toast, and top with caramelized bananas!

Why You Should Bake This Peanut Butter Bread at 325*.

The first time I baked this gluten free peanut butter bread, it split on the side. I believe this is because I baked it at too high a temperature. Instead of 350, bake this at 325 for a longer period of time. The Kitchn recommended baking it at a higher temp for the first 10 minutes, but that still caused my bread to split. Low and slow is what you want to go for.

When I baked this bread the second time, I added 1/2 cup Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips, and it turned out perfectly. The first loaf, in the above pictures, was prepared using a stand mixer. This made the batter much smoother. The second time I prepared it in a bowl, and stirred it with a spoon. The top of the baked loaf ended up lumpier, but still delicious.

Can I Make This Recipe Into Muffins?

King Arthur Baking wrote a fantastic blog post about how to make muffins from a quick bread recipe. Here’s the gist. Fill muffin wells with 3-4 tablespoons of batter. (I like this scoop.) Then bake at 375 degrees for 23-28 muffins.

Other Peanut Butter Recipes

I absolutely love peanut butter. In our house, we put it on top of these buckwheat pancakes. My Peanut Butter Pie Shake is a great treat without any refined sugar, and includes hidden fruit! Make it with my homemade gluten free graham crackers. 🙂 If you’re looking for something savory, I could put this 5 ingredient peanut sauce by Minimalist Baker on just about every meal.

If you’re looking for different flavors of bread, try my gluten free blueberry zucchini bread. Craving pumpkin bread? Try this one from Wheat by the Wayside, in my pumpkin bread pudding recipe.  In addition, What the Fork wrote a super list of gluten free quick bread recipes. She even has her own gluten free quick bread cookbook!

Print

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Bread

Equipment

• PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter Bundle, Keto Diet, Gluten Free, Mix in Protein Shakes & Smoothies, Low Carb, Original Peanut Butter & Peanut Butter Cocoa Flavors (2 Jars – 6.5 Oz Each)
• Cup4Cup Multipurpose Flour, 3 Pounds, Certified Gluten Free Flour, 1:1 All Purpose Flour Substitution, Non-GMO, Kosher, Made in the USA
• Organic Brown Sugar Bulk Resealable bag (3lb) – raw Light Brown sugar for Baking, Kitchen sweetener, Glazes & More – Made with Organic Molasses for a Sweet and Flavorful Taste
• Organic Cane Sugar Crystals (5lb sugar packet) – Preservative & bone-char free, vegan food sugar substitute, gluten free, Non-GMO, fine natural sugar sweetener for cooking, beverages, & more
• Enjoy Life Semi Sweet Chocolate Mini Chips, 10 oz

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 c gluten free flour I used Cup 4 Cup brand
• 1/4 c powdered peanut butter
• 3 tbsp white sugar
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/3 c milk optional 4 tsp vinegar
• 1/2 c natural peanut butter
• if you use Jif, which contains sugar, I’d reduce each type of sugar by 1 tbsp
• optional – 1/2 c mini chocolate chips

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 
• In a large bowl, or stand mixer, combine flour, peanut butter powder, sugars, baking powder and salt. Stir to make sure that all ingredients are blended well, especially making sure that the peanut butter powder is evenly distributed. 
• Next, add milk slowly, blending thoroughly. The first two times I made this, I just used plain milk. The third time, I used a milk to which i added vinegar. I'm not sure I could tell a big difference, but it definitely didn't' hurt. If you're going to add the vinegar to the milk, allow the milk to set for 5 minutes before adding to the batter. 
• Finally, add peanut butter. Make sure to stir thoroughly, but don't over mix. If adding chocolate chips, do so after stirring in the peanut butter.
• Pour into a greased or parchment paper lined loaf pan. (I've done it both ways.) I used a medium loaf pan, which helps with creating a taller loaf. It measures 8.5 x 4.5. You can use a large 9 x 5 loaf pan. Your loaf will just be shorter. 
• Place in a 325 degree heated oven and bake for 50 minutes. The first time, I baked this at 350 for 40 minutes. However, it split along the top. (Although it was completely cooked in the center.)  The original recipe called for baking it at 325 for one hour.I think 50 minutes is more accurate. To prevent the top from over browning, you may want to cover with foil after the first 30 minutes. 
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool in pan for about 10-15 minutes. This allows the sides to cool and firm up. Then remove from the pan and place on the rack to cool completely before slicing. Probably at least an hour. 

What’s been on your baking list lately? Any new recipes I should try? Leave me a note in the comments! 

**This post contains affiliate links. Purchases made through those links help support this blog with no extra expense to you. Thank you for your continued support!**

Originally published July 2020

The post Gluten Free Peanut Butter Bread appeared first on MI Gluten Free Gal.