Blueberry Lemon Sourdough With Streusel Recipe

Blueberry lemon streusel sourdough is bursting with summertime flavors and colors. This recipe marinates fresh blueberries in lemon zest and sugar and then incorporates them into the dough in two ways — first by folding whole blueberries into the dough and then by streaking blueberry jam through the final dough. This lends the dough its gorgeous blue stripes and bursts of tangy, lemon flavor. 

Crumbly, buttery streusel sits inside and on top of the dough for a crunchy, sweet bite. This addition makes the bread absolutely irresistible and unique from other sourdoughs. Each bite has a surprise of blueberry jam or sweet streusel.

This sourdough is just slightly sweet and is perfect for snacking on its own or toasted with a bit of butter. But, you can also use it as an accompaniment to savory, soft cheeses, such as ricotta and brie. Toast thin slices of the bread in a pan with a little olive oil and then top them with soft cheeses, herbs, and a little more blueberry jam for a delicious summer appetizer.

Blueberry lemon sourdough starts with a healthy sourdough starter, although you can substitute in active dry yeast (as outlined below). You can create your own sourdough starter or source it locally. Once you mix the sourdough starter with water, you will add bread flour. It's important to pick a flour with a high protein content (12% or higher). This way, the sourdough will be sturdy and will get the proper lift as it bakes. The dough also includes fresh blueberries, lemon zest, and brown sugar. We love using fresh berries when they are in season, but you can also use frozen. Just make sure to thaw the frozen blueberries before adding them to the dough. Salt helps the dough develop flavor. Finally, you will make a streusel with brown sugar, butter, and more flour. Bread flour works fine for the streusel, but so does all-purpose.

Combine the sourdough starter with 1 ½ cups warm water in a large bowl until dissolved.

Add 4 cups bread flour. Mix with a dough whisk or wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms. Add the salt and continue kneading the mixture until it forms a smooth dough.

Combine the blueberries, lemon zest, and ¼ cup brown sugar in a small bowl.

Add half of the blueberry mixture to the bread dough. Pull and turn the dough over itself to incorporate the blueberries. Rest for 20 minutes, then repeat this turn.

Cover the dough and allow it to rise on the counter for 4–6 hours.

Combine the melted butter with the remaining sugar and flour in a bowl until a crumbly streusel forms.

Heat the remaining blueberry mixture in the microwave for about 3 minutes, or until thickened and jam-like in texture. Heat in increments to prevent burning.

Turn the dough out onto a flat, clean surface and pull it into an 8x8-inch square. Sprinkle half of the streusel mixture over the dough.

Spread the blueberry jam mixture over the surface of the dough in 1-inch strips.

Fold the dough over itself like a letter.

Roll the dough from the bottom end over the fold to form a ball.

Flip the dough into a towel–lined basket or bowl and seal the bottom of the ball by pinching the dough together. Place in the refrigerator to rest for at least 6 hours and up to 12 hours.

Preheat the oven to 450 F and place a large, lidded Dutch oven inside.

Flip the dough onto a square of parchment paper and score a long line on the top of the dough with a razor. Sprinkle the top with the remaining streusel.

Carefully pick up the bread and parchment paper and place both in the preheated Dutch oven.

Put the lid on top and bake for 20 minutes, covered. Remove the lid and bake for another 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Cool, slice, and serve.

Active dry yeast is a solid substitution for sourdough starter in this blueberry lemon bread recipe. While the results will not be exactly the same as traditional sourdough, the bread will still be delicious and gorgeous.

Substitute the sourdough starter with 2 ½ teaspoons of active dry yeast, and then continue following the instructions as written. The dough will rise much faster with active dry yeast, so be aware that the rising time will be much shorter. You can continue to keep the dough refrigerated in a basket as you do in the written recipe, but it is not necessary. The dough does not need as much time to ferment and form its strength and flavor. In this way, using the store-bought yeast yields much quicker results without as much work. However, the loaf will not have the rich, slightly sour flavor of the classic sourdough.

Adding flavorful ingredients to sourdough at home can be tricky, but it is well worth the effort! There are a few key things to keep in mind when creating a strong sourdough bread that includes like the blueberry lemon streusel featured in this recipe.

You'll want to make sure that your dough has a lower hydration than most traditional sourdoughs. The blueberries, lemon, and sugar add more water content to the bread, so you will need less water than normal when you first mix your starter. This means that before you add the blueberries, the dough will be stiffer than with a plain loaf.

It's best to incorporate at least some of the flavoring ingredients early in the sourdough process so that they can infuse the dough with their flavor and evenly spread throughout the dough. We added the blueberry jam toward the end to create a beautiful, vibrant streak of color and flavor in the dough, while adding the marinated blueberries early to lends their flavor to the dough as it rests.