Blueberry Pancake Bread
July is the month when our blueberry bushes seem to just pop! And this year is no exception. The bushes are loaded with the biggest, most beautiful blueberries I’ve ever seen, but the trick is picking them before the birds feast on them! We always cover the bushes, but those sneaky birds keep trying to find a way in. Luckily, we beat the birds to the blueberries and picked our first batch on Sunday. I usually make blueberry muffins but thought I would try something different this time. The way the blueberries are growing this summer, we should have plenty more for muffins!
I wanted a quick and easy recipe that wouldn’t require a trip to the grocery store. My husband had been requesting one of his favorites recently, Pancake Bread, so why not throw in some blueberries and make Blueberry Pancake Bread!
I first made Pancake Bread a few months ago after coming across the recipe on Table for Two. It was a copycat recipe of a popular Trader Joe’s item. I changed a few things but was definitely inspired by this version. The result was absolutely delicious and quickly became one of our favorites.
This bread is ridiculously moist (sorry to all those who hate that word, but there really is no other way to describe it!) and filled with maple flavor from real maple syrup and maple extract. And while the bread itself is delicious, it’s the topping that really makes it! I’m a sucker for anything with a crumb topping. It’s the tastiest way to get even more butter and sugar into a recipe and I’m all for it.
I thought the blueberries were a great addition to the Pancake Bread, just as they are in real blueberry pancakes. They can be slightly tart, so they add a great contrast to the sweetness of the bread. And, personally, I think it really does taste like blueberry pancakes but better because it’s portable. I’ve been bringing slices to work all week to enjoy as a mid-morning snack. The only way to improve on it would be to warm it up and top it with salted butter, just like a stack of pancakes.
I should tell you that I haven’t actually tried Trader Joe’s Pancake Bread yet because the closest store is over an hour away. We love to make trips there to stock up on our favorites, but I somehow must have missed this on our last trip! So I have no idea if my recipe tastes anything like Trader Joe’s Pancake Bread, but since it’s made from scratch and I can have it any time I want without the road trip, I would say my version is even better!
