One of my grandson's calls this leopard bread. I suppose I should be insulted, but I have to admit it's an apt description of a bread that tastes much better than it looks. The bread is very easy to prepare and it transports well, so, it was one of the treats I made for the nurses last week. My freezer is almost always packed with fruit hoarded from the summer's harvest. I hate to limit fruit breads and pastries to the summer kitchen, so I try to put by enough to assure our favorite desserts can be had year round. Despite a late and disappointing harvest, the blueberries I was able to freeze last summer were exceptionally flavorful and good enough to make this simple bread gift-worthy. If you don't already have a recipe for blueberry quick bread in your files, I can recommend this one without reservation. Frozen berries work really well in this recipe and make it possible to serve the bread year round. I hope you will give this version a try. I really think you'll like it. Here's the recipe.

Sugar-Crusted Blueberry Quick Bread

Ingredients:

Bread
2 large eggs

1-1/3 cups sugar

1 cup milk

3 tablespoons oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups flour + 1 tablespoon flour, divided use

1 teaspoon salt

4 teaspoons baking powder

1-1/2 cups blueberries

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Topping
1 tablespoons butter, melted

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 12 x 5-inch pullman loaf pan or two 8 x 4-inch loaf pans. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper and grease paper. Set aside.

2) Combine eggs and sugar in a large bowl and beat to combine. Mix in milk, oil, and vanilla.

3) Whisk 3 cups flour, salt and baking powder together in a separate bowl. Add to liquid ingredients, beating just until blended.

4) Toss blueberries in reserved 1 tablespoon of flour. Fold into batter. Fold in walnuts,if using. Pour batter into pan.

5) To make topping: Mix butter, sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over batter.

6) Bake for 50 – 60 minutes. Transfer pan to a cooling rack. Let sit in pan for 30 minutes. Remove bread from pan and continue cooling on a wire rack. Yield: 1 loaf.

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