Gluten-free Lemon Blueberry Breakfast Loaf

Why, hello! It’s been a while since I’ve checked in – still struggling to find enough time for blogging but hanging in there. Thought I would tempt you with this gluten-free lemon blueberry breakfast loaf. It’s also nut-free, dairy-free and refined sugar-free. Pretty good, huh?

But first…

Remembering Grandma

About 10 days ago, my Grandma passed away. She was 98 years old and lived independently until the last month of her life. I was privileged to be with her at the end, along with other family members. Now I know what people mean when they say that someone passed away peacefully.

She was my last surviving grandparent.

She enjoyed a very busy social life in her latter years. I used to come across her at the local shopping mall every now and again. The last few times I saw her there, I got her to pose with me for selfies, much to her amusement.

Grandma probably never thought of herself as a great cook, but there’s no doubt that her cooking brought joy and comfort to her family. She was also of an era when self-sufficiency was an important part of every day life and waste was minimal. Grandma preserved the fruit from her backyard fruit trees, ensuring a year-long supply of fruits for desserts and baking. She also made jams and her own special lemon cordial. Grandma gave her whole family enduring happy memories via our taste buds.

Granny skills

It was from this example and from other other women in my family that I learned to make jams and relishes and how to make the best of excess fruit. It was an important way that her legacy has kept me in touch with my “granny skills.”

She was a beautiful, serene, intelligent woman who delighted in her family and adored her growing tribe of great-grand children. We’ll really miss her.

And now for a complete change of subject… It’s lemon season, so my Grandma would probably approve of using excess lemons in baking.

I developed this recipe some time ago and had forgotten about it but cooked it recently and was pretty pleased with the results.

Breakfast loaf for something a bit different

Breakfast is a bit of an issue in our house. My coeliac daughter doesn’t much like breakfast – the options are a bit boring for her. Sometimes she’ll mix things up by making a salad wrap, or putting some homemade choc-hazelnut spread on toast, but mostly she’s not very interested in the options.

This gluten-free lemon blueberry breakfast loaf is a great option for breakfast. It’s free of refined sugar – instead it’s sweetened with rice malt syrup. It’s made with whole ingredients and it’s also dairy-free. Yeehah! And don’t worry about the texture – it’s not crumbly.

This makes a great breakfast on the run – just slice and go. And it’s substantial so will keep you full for a good long while. If you’ve got time to sit down and eat, try it warmed up with a generous drizzle of rice malt syrup or maple syrup if you’re feeling like a treat. It’s also great as a lunchbox snack.

Looking for some other breakfast ideas? Try my Gluten-free Banana Breakfast Bars.

Enjoy!

Ingredients – gluten-free lemon blueberry breakfast loaf

2 eggs

280 g blueberries (fresh or frozen)

160 g rice malt syrup

90 g brown rice flour

80 g sorghum flour

50 g tapioca flour

30 g baking powder

5 g psyllium husk

120 g coconut oil, melted

2 tsp vanilla essence

100 ml lemon juice

Zest of 1 lemon

1 tbs chia seeds

125 ml rice milk

Method – gluten-free lemon blueberry breakfast loaf

Preheat oven to 180° Celsius (conventional oven) or 160°Celsius (fan-forced oven). Grease and line a 13 x 23 cm loaf tin.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat eggs on medium speed for 5 minutes.

In the meantime, put 130 g of the blueberries and 60 g of the rice malt syrup into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high, uncovered, for 2 minutes. Stir and then microwave for a further 2 minutes. Stir and then microwave at one minute intervals for a further 2 or 3 minutes until mixture has thickened and has a jam-like consistency.  Set aside to cool a little.

Sift the flours and baking powder and psyllium husk into the beaten eggs. Add the coconut oil, vanilla essence, the remaining 100 g of rice malt syrup, lemon juice, lemon zest, chia seeds and rice milk. Mix until well combined.

Add the remaining 150 g blueberries and gently stir through the mixture.

Pour batter into loaf tin. Gently spoon over the blueberry syrup mixture so that it covers the top of the loaf fairly evenly.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until a skewer, when inserted, comes out clean.

Makes 10 slices

• Gluten free
• Low fructose
• Processed sugar free
• Nut free