This delicious scone loaf is layered like a pull-apart bread, and filled with streusel and blueberries, and laced with a lemon icing on top for a perfect brunch dish. Or enjoy a piece with your morning cup of ginger lemon honey tea.
For more brunch recipes, check out these vegetarian brunch ideas for your next get-together!
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๐คทโโ๏ธ What is a scone loaf?
I'm sure you all know what a scone is, but might be wondering what the heck a scone loaf is. A scone loaf is scone dough that's cut into squares, layered with streusel, and baked in aย loaf pan.ย
โค๏ธ Why you'll love this recipe
- It's more tender inside that regular scones.
- Flexible for adding other spices and fruits.
- A head turner brunch dish that everyone will love.
๐ง Main Ingredients + Notes
The secret to faster and easier meals often lies in the ingredients. For example, store-bought items and ingredients you make ahead and store in the refrigerator (or freezer) can turn a 60-minute recipe into a 30-minutes meal or less.
For the all of the ingredients, measurements and directions, go to the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post.
- All-purpose flour - I highly recommend King Arthur flour for its consistency.
- Granulated sugar
- Brown sugar - if you don't have any, you can make your own brown sugar very easily.
- Spices - I like a combination of cinnamon and cardamom, but you can use just cinnamon if you like.
- Heavy cream - do not substitute whole milk or plant-based milks for the heavy cream, as they will not provide the thickness you need for the dough.
- Blueberries - I've only used fresh blueberries in this recipe, not frozen.
- Baking powder - aluminum-free, double-acting baking powder is best.
- Unsalted butter
- Lemon - both the zest, for the scone loaf, and the juice, for the icing.
- Egg - always look for pastured eggs, as they're much healthier.
- Vanilla Extract
- Confectioners sugar - for the icing
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links to products and foods I use in my kitchen. This means that at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. To view my entire storefront of recommended kitchen tools and equipment, check out my shop on Amazon.
๐ช Recommended Equipment
- Kitchen scale
- Whisk
- Loaf pan
- Food processor or pastry cutter
- Sifter - for the powdered sugar when making the icing.
๐ Instructions Overview
Detailed instructions for making this scone loaf are in the recipe card below, but here's an overview!
Step 1
Make the streusel. Whisk together the dry ingredients and stir in the cream. Gently mix in the blueberries.
Step 2
Make the scone loaf dough. If using a food processor, put all the dry ingredients including the cinnamon in the bowl, and whirl it all around a few times. Add the butter, and buzz it several times, or until the butter pieces are about the size of a pea.
Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl. Whisk together the wet ingredients in a small bowl, and fold into the dry ingredients in the larger mixing bowl. When everything comes together into a large ball of dough, move it to a lightly floured work space, such as your kitchen counter.
Step 3
Form the dough. Working quickly, form the dough into a rectangle. Slice it in half lengthwise, and cut each rectangle into 6 equal pieces for a total of 12 square pieces of dough.
Sprinkle the dough with streusel, and stack 2 of the pieces and place in the loaf pan, standing up. Repeat with the remaining pieces. The final pieces will squish the dough together, pushing them upwards, and causing an uneven top surface.
Sprinkle any streusel that's fallen off of the pieces back onto the top of the loaf.
Step 4
Bake. Bake and cool on a cooling rack. While it cools, make the icing and drizzle over the loaf. Serve in the loaf pan.
โฐ Tips to Simplify and Save Time
- Use a scone mix instead of making your own dough. A butter based scone will be better than a cream based one, as the pieces hold up better in the loaf pan. If you take this route, make the streusel and icing as directed in the below recipe.
๐กIdeas for Possible Variations
- Use other berries in place of the blueberries.
- In the fall, use apples or pears in place of the blueberries, and use apple pie spice in place of the cinnamon and cardamom.
๐ High-Altitude Baking Tips
To bake these at high altitude (7000 feet) make the following changes to the Scone Bread Ingredients to add a little extra moisture and less leavener to the batter.
- Add 1 tablespoon heavy cream.
- Add 1 egg white, for a total of 1 egg and 1 egg white.
- Use 2 teaspoons baking powder.
- Bake for 65 minutes.
๐ More Scones
For a more traditional scone, check out these Strawberry Oat Scones!
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Blueberry Scone Loaf
Ingredients
Streusel
- ยผ cup all-purpose flour
- ยผ cup packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
Scone Bread
- 11 ยผ ounces all-purpose flour (2 ยฝ cups)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ยพ teaspoon kosher salt or โ teaspoon sea salt
- Lemon zest from 1 lemon
- ยฝ teaspoon cinnamon
- 6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter cut into pats
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 large egg
- 1 ยฝ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Lemon Icing
- ยฝ cup sifted powdered sugar
- 1 ยฝ teaspoons lemon juice
Instructions
Make the Streusel
- Whisk together the flour, sugars, and cardamom. Stir in the cream until the dry ingredients are completely moistened. Toss together with the berries and set aside.
Make the Scone Bread
- Preheat the oven to 375หF, and butter a loaf pan.
- In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, pulse together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, lemon zest and cinnamon. Add the pats of butter all at once, and pulse about 8 or 9 times until the butter pieces are no bigger than a pea. Spill it all into a medium mixing bowl.Pro-tip: A great way to check the size of the butter pieces is to sift through the mixture with a fork.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cream, egg, and vanilla extract. Add to the the flour and butter mixture. Using a spatula, gently combine the wet ingredients into the dry. When combined into a ball, place it on a lightly floured work space.
- Gently knead the dough a few times, and flatten into a 6" X 14" rectangle using your fingers. If the dough is too sticky, dip your fingers into water and try again, or place the dough in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to firm up a bit. Pro-tip: Try to move as quickly as possible in forming the dough.ย
- Slice the dough into 12 pieces by first cutting the rectangle in half, lengthwise, into 2 long rectangles using a sharp knife. Next divide each long rectangle into 6 squares.
- Spread ยฝ of the streusel over 6 of the squares. Stack the dough squares without streusel on top of the ones with streusel. Spread the remaining streusel on top. Arrange the dough squares, two at a time, standing up on end in the loaf pan. As you squeeze the final squares in, it will flatten and raise the others up in the loaf pan so that they'll all be just a little below the top of the pan. Some streusel will inevitably fall off, just sprinkle that over the top of the bread dough.
- Bake for 50 - 55 minutes. Pro-tip: You may want to cover it with foil for the final 20 minutes, if you don't want it to brown too much.
- Cool and drizzle on the Lemon Icing (recipe below).
Lemon Icing
- Sift the powdered sugar, and stir in the lemon juice using a fork, until an icing forms.
Nutrition
This recipe was inspired by Mrs. Larkin's recipe on Food52 for Cinnamon Scone Bread.
Karen
How did you do it? These photos look so professional! I am not worthy. Beautiful bread Susan.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
You are so sweet!! And generous!! Your photos are always magazine-worthy!!!! And delicious ๐
Barb
I have had a day like yours...can't we just blame it on the altitude?
This looks superb. I have blueberries, I might have to follow suit!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much! You might not have to make adjustments since you live up in the thin air too. I baked it at 7000 feet. I'm seriously hoping tomorrow is a whole lot better, and if not, I'll just bake another loaf of this breakfast bread ๐
Barb
That's what I was thinking too. I lived in this house in a southern Denver suburb for three years before realizing we're 1000' higher than Denver, so at 6200' not so far from you!
Rita
Great idea, Susan. Reminds me of Rosemary's microwave English muffin bread -- both are very different ways to make traditional scones and English muffins ( http://getcookingsimply.com/english-muffin-bread-perfect-for-summer/ )
Leros
Looks so delicious!! Your photos are absolutely ah-mazing!
xo Leros | AboutEos
Liz
I'd like to say that's never happened to me, LOL, but I have to admit having to double check the calendar some mornings! This gorgeous loaf was worth waiting for!
Crystal Faulkner
This is such a cute little recipe. Such a nice thing to relax and eat! Thank you for sharing this!
Kalyani
my kids would go crazy if they were to be served these ! fun on Oomph from that drizzle and those blueberries making it a perfect breakfast treat... great one with gorgeous pics, Susan ๐
Art from my Table
I was already in love with this bread and then I saw that you used a lemon glaze! Double Yum!
Mayuri Patel
Definitely worth the wait Susan, just love how you've made the humble scone into a richer version by stacking them with streusel in between and not to forget the wonderful aromatic cardamom and blueberries. Just too tempting.
Ros
Looks so good!! Loving your photos!
mjskitchen
Sorry I missed this when I had a ton of blueberries. An awesome bread! Pinned to make as soon as possible. Thanks Susan!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I hope you like it!!!
Tristan
Hi! We are going to try this recipe in the next couple of days. Looks amazing! Wondering if you have made it using frozen blueberries (we have tons in the freezer right now that I would like to use), and if so, what adjustments need to be made? Thanks!!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I haven't made it with frozen blues, sorry! But I do know from general experience that frozen blueberries tend to "bleed" blue into doughs and batters. So I highly recommend rinsing them a few times until the water is much lighter in color when you drain them. Then wrap them in paper towels to dry them. Once they're fairly dry, use them as you would fresh blueberries! I hope you like the recipe! It's one of my favorites!!!
Tristan
Thank you so much for your feedback! Unfortunately I got your reply RIGHT after I had already made the bread. It was yummy despite the bleeding berries! If I use frozen next time I will rinse and dry them. Thanks!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
So glad you liked it anyway!