You’ll love this Red, White & Blueberry Bread, full of fresh fruit and tangy cream cheese. With a crunchy top and a sweet, moist interior, it’s truly a slice of heaven!
This Red, White, and Blueberry bread is a festive quick bread bursting with fresh blueberries and sweet strawberries swirled into a soft, tender vanilla batter. With its patriotic colors and lightly sweet flavor, it’s perfect for summer celebrations like the Fourth of July, Memorial Day, or brunch gatherings.
For more red white and blue recipes you have to check out my Patriotic Funfetti Sugar Cookie Cake Red, White, and Blue Fruit Salad, and Patriotic Funfetti Cupcakes.
Table of Contents
Recipe Ingredients
- Blueberries: Offer a mildly sweet and slightly tart flavor.
- Cream Cheese: Contributes a rich, tangy flavor with a smooth, creamy texture.
- Lemon Zest: Adds a bright, citrusy flavor with a hint of freshness.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
For a delightful twist, add a mix of your favorite berries, nuts, and white chocolate chips. Incorporate raspberries, cranberries, blackberries, chopped pecans and walnuts, and white chocolate chips. This combination adds varied flavors, a satisfying crunch, and creamy sweetness.
How to Make Red, White, and Blueberry Bread
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius). Spray or line a 9×5 inch loaf pan, and set aside.
Step 2: In a small mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the cream cheese swirl. Using a hand mixer, blend until smooth, and set aside.
Step 3: In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter, sugar, cream cheese, vanilla, and lemon zest until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. With mixing speed on low, add eggs one at a time until incorporated.
Step 4: In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer running on low speed, gradually alternate adding the dry ingredients and milk, mixing just until no flour pockets remain. Remove the bowl from the stand and fold in the fruit.
Step 5: Pour half of the batter for the bread into the prepared loaf pan. Then pour the cream cheese “swirl” on top. You can either leave it as-is or carefully swirl it with a knife. Pour the remaining batter over top and sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired.
Step 6: Place in the oven and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until the center of the loaf is set. You may need to tent the loaf with foil if the top is getting too brown (around the 40–50-minute mark). Remove from the oven, allow to cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Expert Tips
- Gently Fold in Berries: When incorporating the berries, gently fold them into the batter using a spatula. This prevents the berries from breaking and bleeding too much into the batter.
- Use Parchment Paper: Line the loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhang. This makes it easier to lift the bread out of the pan without damaging it. Place the loaf pan on a baking sheet to catch any spills and ensure even baking.
FAQs
You can use whole wheat flour or a gluten-free flour blend. Whole wheat flour adds a denser texture, while gluten-free flour maintains a similar texture to all-purpose flour. Adjust liquids as needed.
Yes, you can use frozen berries. Just keep in mind that they may slightly color the batter. To minimize this, fold them in gently and do not thaw before using.
Storage Info
To STORE Red, White, and Blueberry Bread, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container. It will stay fresh at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, you can FREEZE the bread for up to 3 months.
To REHEAT, thaw at room temperature if frozen, then warm individual slices in the microwave for about 20 seconds or in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 5-10 minutes.
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Red, White & Blueberry Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter - room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (3 oz) cream cheese - room temperature
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 cup strawberries - chopped
- 1 cup blueberries - fresh or frozen
Cream Cheese Swirl
- 8 oz cream cheese - room temperature
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon coarse sugar for topping - (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius). Spray or line a 9×5 inch loaf pan, and set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the cream cheese swirl. Using a hand mixer, blend until smooth, and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter, sugar, cream cheese, vanilla, and lemon zest until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. With mixing speed on low, add eggs one at a time until incorporated.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer running on low speed, gradually alternate adding the dry ingredients and milk, mixing just until no flour pockets remain. Remove the bowl from the stand and fold in the fruit.
- Pour half of the batter for the bread into the prepared loaf pan. Then pour the cream cheese "swirl" on top. You can either leave it as-is or carefully swirl it with a knife. Pour the remaining batter over top and sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired.
- Place in the oven and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until the center of the loaf is set. You may need to tent the loaf with foil if the top is getting too brown (around the 40–50-minute mark). Remove from the oven, allow to cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.
NOTES
- If using frozen blueberries, coat them in flour before mixing them in. Mine were very moist and left swirls of blue/grey in my bread. You can avoid this altogether by using fresh blueberries.
- Although I have never made these in muffin form, I’m sure it can be done! I’d say it would make 12-14 muffins and that they would take anywhere from 18-22 minutes to bake, but just watch and test.
The mix of strawberries and blueberries is perfect, and the bread itself is so moist and tender!
I am making this again this year for the 4th but I need to make 2 days ahead of when I serve it, should I refrigerate because of the cream cheese? Or does it not need it because it is baked? Sorry for naive question, i don’t want to make anyone sick. Thanks,
I’d suggest refrigerating it and then taking out the morning of to let it home to room temperature. I don’t think it’d make anyone sick, but because it’s summer and it’s a fruit-filled bread, it will probably stay fresher in the refrigerator.