Part blueberry scone, part coffee cake, this Blueberry Streusel Scone Loaf is the perfect shareable treat for breakfast, brunch, or a snack!
Making scones
At home, I'm considered something of a Biscuit Queen, but in my professional baking career, I've always been the Scone Girl. I was the one who, hours before the bakery opened at 6 or 7 a.m., was responsible for making the scones. I have, quite literally, made thousands of scones. Creeping close to tens of thousands. After that many scones you'd think I wouldn't want to see another, but I like me some scones. What can I say?
When I created this recipe, I was just trying to figure out what to make for breakfast. I kinda wanted a blueberry scone, but was low on blueberries. I thought about a coffee cake, but really wanted a fruity bite. Considered a pound cake for a hot second and then BAM! Blueberry Streusel Scone Loaf! Man, my brain does some interesting culinary calculations, doesn't it?
Ingredients for Blueberry Streusel Scone Loaf
- All-purpose flour This flour has the perfect protein content to stand up to the streusel and the berries and make a sturdy, but fluffy loaf.
- Sugars I use 4 different sugars in this recipe. There is white granulated sugar in the streusel and the scone dough, brown sugar in the streusel, coarse sugar sprinkled on top of the finished loaf before baking, and powdered sugar in the glaze. Of all the sugars, only the coarse sugar can be skipped, or swapped for more granulated sugar.
- Unsalted butter Since every brand of salted butter has a different salt content, I always use unsalted butter in cooking and baking. This way I am in control of how much salt is in my recipes.
- Baking powder and baking soda Both of these are used to bring lift and fluff to your scone loaf.
- Cinnamon As far as I'm concerned, streusel without cinnamon is just sad. Don't make a sad loaf.
- Buttermilk Buttermilk not only adds the moisture to this loaf! Its acidic content reacts with baking soda to help the loaf to rise, and also assists in bringing extra tenderness to all baked goods.
- Eggs We will use 2 eggs in this recipe. One will be in the scone dough, to add flavor and bind the dough together. The other will be mixed with one teaspoon of water, to use as an egg wash on the edges of the dough, before baking.
- Vanilla extract The warmth that vanilla brings to baked goods just can't be beat. Use real vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste, but skip the artificial vanilla. It has its place, but this is not it.
- Blueberries You only need about ½ pint, or one cup. You can use frozen blueberries, but make sure to keep them frozen. if they thaw they get juicy before we need their juiciness.
- Blueberry jam This has two purposes here. It reinforces the blueberry flavor and it also acts as the glue to hold the streusel onto the pieces of scone, as you'll see when we start making the loaf.
- Milk We need just a few tablespoons to make the drizzle, but if you want to substitute with more buttermilk, since it's already out on the counter, it makes a sweet and tangy glaze!
How to make this scone loaf
Prep Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter or nonstick spray an 8 inch by 4 inch loaf pan. Lay a cut piece of parchment paper in the pan, so that the edges hang over the sides. These will act as handles to remove your loaf after baking.
Cut in the butter Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add cold chunks of butter. Using your fingers, a wide-tined fork, pastry cutter, or even a food processor, combine the butter with the dry ingredients until the butter is about the size of peas. Some smaller and larger butter chunks are fine.
Mix the scone dough In a large measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, and vanilla. Pour into the center of the dry ingredients and, using a large silicone spatula or a danish dough whisk, bring the dough together until all the flour is incorporated. Place the bowl in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill. This will make it easier to work with later.
What is a Danish Dough Whisk?
A Danish Dough Whisk is a mixing tool with multiple stiff metal loops that makes mixing anything from pancake batter to bread dough easy and efficient. Its spaced-loop design mixes from the bottom of the bowl and throughout without overworking the glutens or your arm muscles! It's also ideal for baked goods with fruit or chocolate chips since its low surface area prevents the ingredients from being broken up during mixing, as they pass right through!
Roll out and cut dough Turn your chilled dough out onto a well-floured surface. Squeeze the dough into a compact rough square shape. Dust the top of the dough and your rolling pin lightly with flour. Roll the dough into a 14 inch by 6 inch rectangle. Use a bench scraper, or another flat tool, to keep the sides as straight as possible. No need to be fussy. Straight-ish is fine. Cut into 12 equal pieces, pushing one to the side. We'll leave that one alone for right now.
Some tips for working with the scone dough
- Chilling the dough not only makes it easier to work with, it makes the individual dough pieces easier to lift and stack.
- After turning the dough out onto your surface, give it a quick squeezy-knead and pull the dough into a rough square, making it easier to roll out.
- If any of the dough pieces crack, just press the edges together with your fingers.
- Flouring your surface and using a bench scraper will make it easier to lift and stack your dough pieces.
Add fillings Smear about 1 teaspoon of blueberry jam or preserves on all but one of the dough squares. Sprinkle the tops with streusel, giving them a little pat with your fingers to stick the streusel to the jam. Press 4 to 5 blueberries onto each streusel square.
Stacking Working with 4 pieces at a time, stack dough pieces on top of each other and lay in your parchment lined loaf pan, standing on their edges, like a sideways lasagna. Repeat with all of the dough pieces, finishing the loaf with the plain piece, like a scone hat.
Finishing Press remaining blueberries in between the pieces of dough, letting them peek out a bit at the tops. Whisk one egg with one teaspoon of water to make an egg wash. Brush all of the exposed edges with your egg wash.
More finishing and baking Sprinkle the top of the loaf with the remaining streusel. Sprinkle over top with a bit of coarse sugar or granulated sugar, for a crunchy texture. Bake in the oven at 375°F for 45-50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. To be sure it's fully baked, you can insert a thermometer. It should read between 195° to 200°F when done.
Glaze Allow loaf to cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes. Whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until completely combined. Drizzle over the cooled cake. Use parchment handles to remove cake from pan, slice, and serve.
Make ahead instructions
You can make and assemble this scone loaf the night before and bake in the morning. Remove from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before baking to allow it to come to room temperature, assuring the inside will bake completely. Preheat the oven and bake as directed.
You can also make and assemble this ahead and freeze the entire unbaked loaf for up to 2 months. Allow the scone loaf to thaw overnight in the fridge. Use a knife or a skewer to make sure it is completely thawed before baking as directed.
Storage instructions
Wrap remaining loaf in plastic wrap, or keep in an airtight container. Eat at room temperature or reheat in the microwave for about 15 to 20 seconds.
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Blueberry Streusel Scone Loaf
Equipment
- Loaf pan
Ingredients
Streusel
- ¼ cup (30 g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (55 g) brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon (4 g) cinnamon
- 3 tbs (42 g) unsalted butter softened
Scone dough
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tbs baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter (1 stick) cold and cut into cubes
- ¾ cup (180 g) buttermilk
- 1 large egg whisked
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ pint (236 g) blueberries
- ¼ cup blueberry jam homemade or store-bought
- 1 large egg whisked with 1 teaspoon water
- Raw or sparkling sugar for sprinkling optional
Glaze
- ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar
- 1-2 tbs milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Mix together all streusel ingredients except butter. Using your fingers or a pastry cutter, cut the butter in until fully incorporated. Refrigerate while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using your fingers, a pastry cutter, or a food processor, cut butter in until there are pea sized pieces of butter mixed into the flour mix. Having some larger or smaller pieces are fine.
- Whisk together buttermilk and egg with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Add to the dry ingredients. Using a silicone spatula or danish dough whisk, bring together into a cohesive dough. Let the dough chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- When your dough is nearly done chilling, preheat oven to 375°F. Butter or nonstick spray an 8 inch by 4 inch loaf pan. Lay a cut piece of parchment paper in the pan, so that the edges hang over the sides. These will act as handles to remove your loaf after baking.
- Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Roll the dough into a 14 inch by 6 inch rectangle using a rolling pin. Cut into 12 even pieces. Set one piece aside to cap off our loaf later on.
- Spread about 1 teaspoon of blueberry jam on each piece and sprinkle streusel over the top. Use your fingers to lightly press the streusel into the jam so that it sticks. Press 4 to 5 blueberries on top of each piece.
- Stack four of the pieces on top of each other, and turn sideways to place the pieces in your prepared loaf pan. It's like building a sideways lasagna.
- Repeat with the remaining layers, topping the final stack with the plain piece we set aside earlier. Brush exposed edges of scone dough with an egg that has been whisked with a teaspoon of water. Sprinkle with any remaining streusel and press remaining blueberries between layers, so they poke out a bit. Sprinkle top with coarse sugar, if desired.
- Bake at 375° for 50 to 60 minutes or until a thermometer placed in the center of the loaf reaches 195°. Let cool for at least 30 minutes.
- Whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until completely combined. Drizzle over cooled loaf, and use parchment handles to remove it from the pan.
- Slice and serve warm. Store leftovers tightly wrapped in plastic wrap. Can be reheated by microwaving for 10-15 seconds.
Nutrition
The nutritional and caloric information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It does not assert or suggest that readers should or should not count calories, and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s or doctor’s counseling.
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