Sour Blackberries and Hazelnut Bread
Sour Blackberries. You’ve seen them. Those big, glossy, plump berries that have summer written all over them. The innkeeper at Touvelle House Bed and Breakfast bought some a couple of days ago. As she was plating, she popped one in her mouth, expecting to savor the sweet juice of summer. ‘To my horror, the berry was more sour than any lemon have ever been dared to endure. After spitting it out, and rinsing my mouth, I decided to be brave and try another one. After all, I am expecting my guests to wolf these down. Besides, I probably was unlucky and picked a bad berry. Nope. The whole lot was unripe. Breakfast aside, I now had over a pound of blackberries that were inedible. Or were they?
‘I had had some success with a recipe for Walnut-Strawberry Quick Bread from King Arthur Flour and I thought perhaps I could modify it a bit to accommodate my sour blackberries.’
Sour Blackberry Hazelnut Bread
½ cup chopped hazelnuts
1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar (divided into ½ cup portions)
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon lemon zest or ¼ teaspoon lemon oil
2 eggs
18 ounces blackberries (2 heaping cups)
¼ cup pear juice* (optional)
½ cup vegetable oil
*Note: I was so worried about how sour the berries were that I added some pear juice that I had on hand. I don’t know for sure that it made a significant difference.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 9×5 inch loaf pan or three mini loaf pans.
In a medium-sized pot, combine berries, juice and ½ cup sugar and cook on medium until berries are broken down and sugar is dissolved. Reduce the heat to low and cook off some of the juices, about 10 minutes and allow to cool.
In a bowl, whisk together flour, remaining sugar, soda, salt and nutmeg. Toss in the nuts. In a separate bowl, whisk together the lemon, eggs, and vegetable oil. Add berry mixture and combine. Add dry ingredients and combine until moistened.
Pour batter into the prepared pan(s) and bake for 55-60 minutes. Cool the bread in the pan(s) for 15 minutes then remove and transfer to a rack to cool. Wrap while the bread is still slightly warm and let sit overnight (if possible). Slice and serve with butter or your favorite blackberry spread.
TouVelle House Bed and Breakfast is a handsome 3-story Craftsman style home which Judge Frank TouVelle had built as a wedding present for his wife Elizabeth in 1916. The house sits up on a knoll and is set well back from the sidewalk and street, creating a quiet and serene retreat.
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