July 3, 2020

Blueberry Streusel Pull Apart Bread

It’s blueberry picking time here in the Hudson Valley, and I just can’t get enough of those sweet and juicy berries. Although I love eating fresh blueberries, I also love baking with them. This Blueberry Streusel Pull Apart Bread is like a giant cinnamon bun, filled with blueberries, and topped with cinnamon pecan streusel.

The Equipment:

The Bread Machine- I love my bread machine. I’ve had the same one for almost 30 years and I think it does an incredible job of kneading the bread.
The 12 by 4 Non-Stick Springform Pan- If you don’t have one of these, I would try using two smaller loaf pans. Just be sure to grease them very well.

The Ingredients:

The Butter- Be sure to use unsalted butter, and to have 4 tablespoons of it softened for the bread filling.
The Flour- This recipe uses bread flour. I always weigh my flour when baking. I find that most bad baked goods come from using incorrectly measured flour.
The Yeast- I used regular active dry yeast this time, because I could not find bread machine yeast at my supermarket. But, when using a bread machine, bread machine yeast is always preferable.
The Blueberries- I used fresh blueberries for this bread. I often use frozen defrosted berries in my baking, though. But, I’m just not sure if frozen berries would be a good idea here. I’m afraid they’d make the dough watery.

How I made the Bread:

First, I added the ingredients in the order suggested by my bread machine. Then, I let the machine run through its entire almost two hour dough cycle.
After spreading the cinnamon sugar filling on the dough, I cut it into rectangles, so that the dough would pull apart. We ended up cutting it with a knife, and not pulling it apart, but the gaps in the dough really allowed the streusel to get well distributed.
Keep an eye on this bread while it’s in the oven. I baked one loaf 40 minutes and that was definitely too much, because the edges almost burned.

This is a must make, truly delicious bread. In fact, it would make a great July Fourth breakfast, served with some strawberries and whipped cream on top!

Blueberry Streusel Pull Apart Bread

A rich buttery bread filled with blueberries and cinnamon, and topped with a pecan streusel.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 40

Cook Time 40

Rising time 2 20

Total Time 3 40

Course Bread

Cuisine American

Servings

Equipment

Bread Machine
12×4 nonstick springform loaf pan

Ingredients

For the Blueberry Streusel Pull Apart Bread:

10 tbsp. butter (4 tbsp. softened for filling)
4 cup bread flour (480g)
2 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 tsp. salt
½ cup sugar (100g)
2½ tsp. dry active yeast
2 cups blueberries
½ cup brown sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

For the Streusel:

¼ cup flour
3 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ cup chopped pecans
2 tbsp. melted butter

Instructions

For the Blueberry Streusel Pull Apart Bread:

In a bread machine, add the following ingredients in the order suggested by the manufacturer of your bread machine: 6 tablespoons of butter, the bread flour, the eggs, the milk, the salt, the yeast, and a half cup of sugar. Process on the dough cycle.
When the dough cycle is done, roll the dough out into a large rectangle, about 20 by 12 inches. Spread the dough with the butter, and then sprinkle on the cinnamon and brown sugar. Press in a cup and a half of blueberries all over the dough.
Cut the dough in 4 by 2 inch rectangles. Stack the rectangles four high, and then stand them up in the pan, like they're slices of bread.
Cover the pan and let it rise for 30 minutes, or until the dough rises to the top of the pan.
Preheat the oven to 350°.
Top the bread with the streusel and remaining half cup of blueberries.
Bake for 30 minutes or until cooked through.
Remove the pan sides and serve when still warm.