Make a fabulous Blueberry Bread with this Depression Era Recipe using pantry staples.
In this particular season, I thought I’d revisit one of my most precious recipes, Blueberry Bread. This particular recipe is a depression-era recipe that was passed down to me by my Great-Great Aunt.
This recipe really brought me to tears as I made it a few weeks ago, in this particular season we are in it’s easy to get emotional. As I made it I looked at her handwriting and even the recipe itself and remembered that she lived through the Spanish Flu, The Great Depression, MANY horrific wars, and she also suffered great loss in her own personal life many times more than I’ll ever know.
It put things into perspective for me, she was a woman of great faith…and a stubborn woman too, but she worked hard and did what she needed to do. She ended up living a very long life, and I was blessed to know her and spend time with her as a kid too.
I loved reading this recipe again though and it had, even more, meaning this time around. As you can see she actually baked this recipe in coffee cans, which I learned was something that was done in the early 1900s and then it came back during the great depression and the wartime as so many things were rationed.
The original recipe is written with strawberries to make strawberry bread, but this time I decided to use blueberries.
What do you need for Blueberry Bread?
- Flour
- Baking Soda
- Cinnamon
- Salt
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Oil
- Blueberries
As you can see it’s very simple pantry staples, perfect to make in this particular season when most of us are literally cooking from our pantries.
Tips for making Blueberry Bread:
As you make this it’s important to follow the steps of combining the wet and dry ingredients. If you use a stand mixer, I had to mix this for about 1-2 minutes until the dough is fully formed. It will start out as sort of a ‘crumb’ style consistency and as it mixes it will fully form into a dough.
This dough will need to be spread into the pan. We prefer to use a greased bundt pan. Be sure it’s well greased.
The key to getting this out without breaking in a bundt pan is to let it fully cool for about 20+ minutes, then carefully release the sides and allow the cake to slide out. I flip it over and place it face down on a pan or flat surface and then release it.
Can you make this Blueberry Bread in the Ninja Foodi?
Yes, you can make this as Ninja Foodi Blueberry Bread, as I did with the Ninja Foodi Lemon Bread.
The process of preparing the batter is the same; however, you will want to use a smaller bundt pan. All the batter may fit into this small bundt pan, or you can use an additional bread pan for what’s left of the batter; however, you’d need to bake then in 2 batches.
This would bake in the Ninja Foodi at 325 degrees for 40 minutes using the ‘bake’ function.
How do you make this gluten-free?
If you want to make this bread gluten-free, simply swap flour and use a gluten-free all-purpose flour such as Better Batter. I prefer Better Batter but you can use your favorite 1:1 flour.
Now it’s time to enjoy this delicious depression-era Blueberry Bread.
Blueberry Bread
Ingredients
- 3 Cups Flour or Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
- 1 Tsp Baking Soda
- 3 Tsp Cinnamon
- 1 Tsp Salt
- 2 Cups Sugar
- 3 Eggs
- 1 Cup Oil
- 2 Cups Blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350*.
- Sift dry ingredients together and set aside.
- Combine all wet ingredients and mix well. Mix this up until the batter forms, it's best to do in a stand mixer or bowl with a hand mixer.
- Once the wet ingredients are mixed well add in the dry ingredients and continue to mix until well combined. Mix until batter is formed.
- Lastly, fold in the blueberries.
- Spray either 2 bread loaf pans or 1 bundt cake pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- Spread the batter into the pans.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
- Ninja Foodi - if you make this in the Ninja Foodi, you will cook on bake at 325 degrees for 40 minutes using a smaller bundt pan. There may be additional batter left to add to a small bread pan as well.
Nutrition
did you make this recipe?
Make sure to tag #mommyhatescoooking on Instagram and follow for more @momhatescooking
Comments & Reviews
I saved this recipe so that when I got blueberries, I could make it. I just made it this weekend and it now a family favorite. We ate it all in two days!!! It is super good. I am working on a post on my blog with it. I have a few links so that people can check out your super blog!!! Thanks for the great recipe.
I loved reading about the background on your great-great aunt and the recipe! Pinned.
I love that you shared this again! I find myself wishing I’d paid more attention when my people shared about their Depression-era experiences.
Thanks so much for joining the Grace at Home party at Imparting Grace. I’m featuring you this week!
Oh I loved seeing the old recipe. I have spiral notebooks from as far back as the 1890’s from my grandma, write. In pencil and with all sorts of stains. Such memories of baking with her when I was little. I will definitely try this recipe
The ingredients are dry. Not batter like. Did I forget something. Only wet ingredients are oil and eggs!!! Help
You’d mix the wet into the dry and keep mixing it until a batter forms it will be a thick, spreadable batter.
The same for me. I can take in my hands and shape it. It’s like a cookies dough. Doesn’t have enough wet ingredients (1 oil cup + 3 eggs) for the quantity of dry ingredient (3cups of flour+2cups of sugar+ salt+baking powder+cinnamon). I added some liquids. It’s in the oven…. waiting for the result :o(. Did we do something wrong?
The batter is going to start out crumbly, then as it is mixed a good 2 minutes or so it will form into a spreadable batter.