10 Cozy Lemon Blueberry Sourdough Bread Ideas to Bake This Weekend

Okay, so here’s the thing, I never thought I’d be that person who gets obsessed with sourdough. Like, I used to see those Instagram posts of perfect loaves with the fancy scoring patterns and think “yeah, sure, who has time for that?” But then someone gave me a sourdough starter (named her Bubbles, don’t judge), and suddenly I’m three months deep into a full-blown sourdough addiction.

The turning point? When I accidentally made lemon blueberry sourdough bread on a random Sunday morning because I had too many blueberries going soft in the fridge and half a lemon rolling around in the produce drawer. My husband took one bite and literally said, “This is dangerous. You can’t make this again or I’ll eat the whole loaf.” Reader, I made it again the next weekend.

So now I’ve got a whole collection of lemon blueberry sourdough bread ideas that I’ve been testing, tweaking, and honestly sometimes completely messing up (RIP the loaf I forgot in the oven while watching Netflix). These recipes range from “I need something easy on a weeknight” to “I’m feeling fancy and have actual free time.” Every single one is worth the flour-covered countertops, I promise.

1. Classic Lemon Blueberry Sourdough Bread Recipe (The Gateway Drug)

This is where it all started for me. Just a straightforward lemon blueberry sourdough bread recipe that doesn’t require a PhD in bread science.

I remember the first time I tried this—I was so nervous about adding blueberries to my precious dough that I almost chickened out. What if they turned everything purple? What if they made it soggy? Spoiler: neither happened, and it was SO GOOD that my neighbor came over asking if I’d opened a bakery in my kitchen.

Why it’s amazing: The lemon zest brightens everything up, and the blueberries create these little pockets of jammy sweetness. It’s fancy enough to serve to guests but easy enough that you won’t have a breakdown making it.

Ingredients:

• 500g bread flour (just the regular stuff, don’t overthink it)
• 350g water (I use tap water, fight me)
• 100g active sourdough starter (bubbly and happy, not the sad jar you forgot about)
• 10g salt (kosher salt is my go-to)
• Zest of 2 lemons (use the fine side of your grater, not the chunks)
• 1 cup fresh blueberries (frozen works too but pat them dry first or you’ll have blue dough)
• 2 tablespoons honey (optional but highly recommended)

Instructions:

1. Mix your flour and water together in a big bowl. Let it sit for like 30 minutes—this is called autolyse and honestly I forget to do it half the time but it does help.
2. Add your starter and salt. Get your hands in there and squish it all together. It’ll be sticky and messy. That’s normal. Embrace the chaos.
3. Let it rest for 30 minutes, then do your first stretch and fold. Basically grab one side of the dough, stretch it up, fold it over. Rotate the bowl and repeat 4-5 times. You’ll feel fancy and professional.
4. Repeat those stretch and folds every 30 minutes for about 2-3 hours. During the last fold, gently incorporate your lemon zest and blueberries. Don’t murder the berries but don’t baby them either.
5. Let it bulk ferment until it’s grown about 50%. In my kitchen that takes 4-6 hours but honestly it depends on your house temperature. Just watch it.
6. Shape it into a round or oval, plop it in a banneton or bowl lined with a floured towel, and stick it in the fridge overnight. This is my favorite part because I can go to bed and pretend I’m done.
7. Next morning: preheat your oven to 450°F with a Dutch oven inside for like 45 minutes.
8. Score your bread (I just do a simple slash because I’m not an artist), carefully drop it in the hot Dutch oven, lid on, bake for 20 minutes.
9. Take the lid off, reduce heat to 425°F, bake another 25-30 minutes until it’s gorgeous and golden.
10. Wait at least an hour before cutting. THIS IS THE HARDEST PART. I’ve failed many times.

Tips & Chaos Notes: Don’t skip the overnight cold ferment. It makes the flavor incredible and the dough way easier to handle. Also, I learned the hard way that if you add too many blueberries, they’ll leak everywhere and make your dough look like a crime scene. Stick to one cup max.

2. Lemon Blueberry Sourdough Discard Bread Recipe (For When You Feel Guilty About Wasting Starter)

Listen, I used to throw away sourdough discard like it was nothing. Then I calculated how much flour I was literally tossing in the trash and had a minor crisis. This lemon blueberry sourdough discard bread recipe uses that discard so you can feel like an environmentally conscious bread wizard.

This one came about because I had about 200g of discard sitting in my fridge giving me judgy vibes. I thought, “what’s the worst that could happen?” Turns out nothing bad happened and I got delicious bread, so win-win.

Why it’s amazing: You’re using something you’d normally waste, it comes together faster than traditional sourdough, and honestly tastes just as good. Maybe better because you feel virtuous.

Ingredients:

• 200g sourdough discard (doesn’t matter if it’s old or unfed, we’re rebels here)
• 300g all-purpose flour (bread flour works too)
• 200g milk (any kind, I’ve used oat milk in a pinch)
• 50g sugar (or honey if you’re feeling healthy)
• 50g melted butter (salted is fine, unsalted is fine, it’s all fine)
• 1 egg (room temperature but I forget this constantly)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Zest of 2 lemons (always more lemon than you think)
• 1 1/2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen, we don’t discriminate)

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×5 loaf pan or line it with parchment paper. I always grease it because I have trust issues with bread sticking.
2. In a big bowl, mix your discard, milk, melted butter, egg, and sugar. Whisk it until it’s smooth-ish. Some lumps are fine, we’re not making a soufflé.
3. In another bowl (yes, you have to dirty two bowls, sorry), mix your flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
4. Dump the dry stuff into the wet stuff. Fold it together with a spatula—don’t overmix or you’ll get tough bread and nobody wants that.
5. Fold in your lemon zest and blueberries. Be gentle, those berries are fragile.
6. Pour into your loaf pan. It’ll be thick but pourable.
7. Bake for 50-60 minutes. Start checking at 45 minutes with a toothpick. When it comes out clean (or with just a few crumbs), you’re done.
8. Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes then turn it out onto a wire rack.

Tips & Chaos Notes: This bread is more tender than traditional sourdough—it’s like the hybrid comfort bread of your dreams. My kids eat this for breakfast slathered with butter and don’t even realize it has sourdough in it. Also works great toasted the next day, which in my house means it never lasts long enough to get stale.

3. Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Sourdough Bread Recipe (When You’re Feeling Extra)

Okay, THIS recipe is what happens when you can’t decide between bread and dessert and just say “why not both?” The first time I made this lemon blueberry cheesecake sourdough bread recipe was for a brunch potluck and three people asked if I’d bought it from a fancy bakery. I said no but also didn’t correct them too quickly because the ego boost was nice.

Why it’s amazing: There’s literal cream cheese swirled into this bread. Like, pockets of tangy cheesecake filling inside sourdough. It’s basically breakfast but feels like dessert, which is my ideal food category.

Ingredients:

For the dough:

• 400g bread flour
• 280g water
• 100g active starter (fed and bubbly)
• 8g salt
• 30g sugar (yes, we need sweet for this one)
• Zest of 2 lemons
• 1 cup blueberries

For the cream cheese swirl:

• 8 oz cream cheese (full fat, don’t even think about low-fat)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions:

1. Make your dough like the classic recipe above—mix flour and water, add starter and salt and sugar, do your stretch and folds. Add lemon zest and blueberries during the final fold.
2. While the dough is bulk fermenting, make your cream cheese filling. Beat the cream cheese and sugar until fluffy (I use a hand mixer because I’m lazy). Add egg yolk, vanilla, and lemon juice. Mix until smooth and dreamy.
3. After bulk ferment, roll your dough out into a rectangle about 12×8 inches. This is messy. Accept it.
4. Spread the cream cheese filling all over, leaving about an inch border on all sides.
5. Roll it up like a jelly roll, starting from the short end. Pinch the seams closed like you’re sealing in all that delicious filling (because you are).
6. Place seam-side down in a greased loaf pan, cover, and let it do a second rise for 2-3 hours or until puffy.
7. Bake at 375°F for about 45-50 minutes. Cover with foil if the top gets too dark (mine always does around 30 minutes).
8. Cool completely before slicing or the cream cheese will ooze everywhere. Actually, it’ll probably ooze anyway and that’s delicious.

Tips & Chaos Notes: This is rich. Like, really rich. One slice is legitimately filling, which is good because otherwise I’d eat half the loaf in one sitting. It’s also stunning when you slice it and see the cream cheese swirl. Chef’s kiss moment every time. Pro tip: warm it up slightly before serving and it’s even better.

4. Easy Lemon Blueberry Sourdough Bread Recipe (For Busy Weeknights)

I created this easy lemon blueberry sourdough bread recipe during a particularly chaotic week when I had approximately 45 minutes of free time and still wanted fresh bread. It’s not traditional sourdough (uses some commercial yeast too), but honestly? It’s delicious and fast, so who cares about bread purist opinions.

Why it’s amazing: Done in about 3-4 hours instead of overnight. Still has that sourdough tang. Perfect for when you want fresh bread but don’t want to plan your life around feeding schedules.

Ingredients:

• 400g bread flour
• 240g water (warm-ish)
• 100g sourdough discard (or active starter, whatever you have)
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast (yes, we’re cheating, it’s fine)
• 8g salt
• 20g sugar
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 3/4 cup blueberries
• 2 tablespoons melted butter

Instructions:

1. Mix everything except the blueberries in a bowl. The dough will be soft and slightly sticky.
2. Knead for about 5-7 minutes. You can use a stand mixer if you have one (I do and I’m not ashamed).
3. Let it rise in a greased bowl for 1.5-2 hours until doubled. My house is cold so it takes the full 2 hours.
4. Gently press the dough out, scatter blueberries on top, fold them in without completely murdering them.
5. Shape into a loaf, put in a greased loaf pan.
6. Rise again for 45-60 minutes.
7. Bake at 375°F for 30-35 minutes.
8. Brush with melted butter right when it comes out because everything is better with butter.

Tips & Chaos Notes: This is my “I forgot I needed bread for dinner” recipe. The texture is softer than traditional sourdough but still has that slight tang. Makes amazing toast the next morning, especially with a schmear of cream cheese.

5. Lemon Blueberry Artisan Sourdough Bread Recipe (Instagram-Worthy Edition)

Alright, this is the lemon blueberry artisan sourdough bread recipe for when you want to flex on social media. I’m not even embarrassed to admit I made this one specifically to get pretty pictures. It has those big holes, the crackly crust, the whole aesthetic.

Why it’s amazing: High hydration dough means an open crumb structure that looks professional. Also tastes incredible, but let’s be honest, we’re doing this one for the ‘gram.

Ingredients:

• 500g bread flour
• 375g water (yes, this is wet dough, buckle up)
• 100g active starter (extremely bubbly)
• 10g salt
• Zest of 2 lemons
• 1 cup blueberries (definitely use fresh for this one)

Instructions:

1. Mix flour and water, autolyse for 1 hour minimum. I set a timer because I absolutely will forget.
2. Add starter and salt. Mix until incorporated. The dough will be VERY sticky. This is correct. Don’t panic.
3. Do stretch and folds every 30 minutes for 3 hours. The dough will strengthen—I promise it seems like a wet mess at first but it comes together.
4. Add lemon zest and blueberries gently during the last fold.
5. Bulk ferment for another 1-2 hours until about 50% increase.
6. Shape on a well-floured surface (use lots of flour, this dough is sticky). Into the banneton, seam side up.
7. Cold retard overnight, or at least 8 hours.
8. Bake in a screaming hot Dutch oven at 500°F for 20 minutes with lid on, then 450°F for 25 minutes with lid off.

Tips & Chaos Notes: The high hydration makes this tricky—my first attempt I basically had soup and had to start over. But when you nail it? Perfection. The crumb is open and airy, the crust shatters when you bite it, and the lemon-blueberry flavor is subtle but definitely there. Worth the sticky hands and flour everywhere.

6. Lemon Blueberry Cream Cheese Sourdough Bread (The Brunch Showstopper)

This lemon blueberry cream cheese sourdough bread happened because I had leftover cream cheese from making cheesecake and thought “what if I just… added it to bread?” Turns out that’s a brilliant idea. This has pockets of tangy cream cheese throughout and it’s legitimately addictive.

Why it’s amazing: The cream cheese creates these rich, creamy pockets that contrast perfectly with the tart berries. It’s like eating a breakfast pastry but it’s BREAD so it’s fine to eat three slices.

Ingredients:

• 450g bread flour
• 320g water
• 100g active starter
• 9g salt
• Zest of 2 lemons
• 1 cup blueberries
• 6 oz cream cheese, cut into small cubes and chilled

Instructions:

1. Make the dough as usual—mix, autolyse if you remember, add starter and salt, stretch and fold routine.
2. During the third stretch and fold, add your lemon zest and blueberries.
3. During the FOURTH fold, add the cream cheese cubes. They’ll want to smush—try to keep them in chunks. It’s okay if some melts into the dough, that’s actually delicious.
4. Bulk ferment, shape, cold proof overnight. Standard sourdough procedure.
5. Bake in Dutch oven: 450°F for 20 minutes covered, 425°F for 25 minutes uncovered.

Tips & Chaos Notes: The cream cheese will melt during baking and create these amazing creamy pockets. Sometimes they ooze out during shaping and that’s fine—just fold them back in. The bread has this incredible richness that makes it perfect for brunch. I’ve served this with just butter and people lose their minds. My mother-in-law asked for the recipe and she NEVER asks for my recipes, so that’s how you know it’s good.

7. Blueberry Lemon Sourdough with Frozen Blueberries (Because Fresh Isn’t Always Realistic)

Real talk: fresh blueberries are expensive and not always available. This blueberry lemon sourdough with frozen blueberries recipe is what I make 90% of the time because I always have frozen berries in my freezer and they work just as well.

Why it’s amazing: Frozen blueberries are available year-round, cheaper, and honestly sometimes I think they work even better because they don’t burst as easily during mixing. Plus you can make this in February when fresh berries cost your firstborn child.

Ingredients:

• 500g bread flour
• 350g water
• 100g active starter
• 10g salt
• Zest of 2 lemons (fresh lemon zest is non-negotiable, sorry)
• 1.5 cups frozen blueberries (DO NOT THAW)

Instructions:

1. Make your dough exactly like the classic recipe—I’m not rewriting it all again because it’s the same process.
2. The KEY difference: do not thaw your blueberries. Pat them with paper towels to remove surface ice, then fold them into the dough while they’re still frozen.
3. They’ll start to thaw during bulk ferment but that’s fine. The cold actually helps prevent them from turning your entire dough purple.
4. Continue with normal shaping, proofing, and baking process.

Tips & Chaos Notes: Frozen blueberries actually hold their shape better than fresh during mixing and baking. My loaves with frozen berries tend to have prettier pockets of fruit instead of purple streaks everywhere (which taste fine but look less appealing). I buy the big bag from Costco and it lasts forever. This is my go-to winter recipe when I’m craving summer flavors.

8. Lemon Blueberry Sourdough Starter Recipe (For Making Flavored Starter)

Okay so this is kind of weird but stay with me—what if you actually fed your starter with lemon and blueberry from the start? I tried this as an experiment after falling down a sourdough Reddit rabbit hole at 2am, and it actually works. This lemon blueberry sourdough starter recipe creates a flavored starter for extra-lemony bread.

Why it’s amazing: The starter itself has lemon and blueberry notes, so the bread has even more flavor depth. It’s also just fun to have a special flavored starter for specific baking projects.

Ingredients:

• 50g active sourdough starter
• 50g bread flour
• 25g water
• 25g fresh blueberry juice (blend berries and strain)
• Zest of 1 lemon

Instructions:

1. Take 50g of your regular starter.
2. Add flour, water, and blueberry juice. Stir in lemon zest.
3. Feed it like this for 3-4 days until it’s consistently bubbly and active.
4. Use it in any of the recipes above for extra lemon-blueberry intensity.

Tips & Chaos Notes: This is totally extra and unnecessary, but it’s FUN. The starter smells amazing—like fruity sourdough tang. I keep mine in addition to my regular starter (Bubbles) and call this one Berry. Yes, I name my starters. No, I don’t think this is weird. The bread made from this starter has noticeably more fruit flavor, which some people love and others think is too much. I’m in the “love it” camp.

9. Lemon Sourdough Bread Recipe (The Simple Sibling)

Sometimes you want lemon bread without the blueberries—maybe you’re making it for someone who’s weird about fruit in their bread (my brother), or maybe you’re planning to toast it and put jam on it. This lemon sourdough bread recipe is basically the classic minus the berries.

Why it’s amazing: Lets the lemon flavor really shine. It’s bright, slightly sweet, and the perfect base for literally any topping. I’ve made French toast with this and it was life-changing.

Ingredients:

• 500g bread flour
• 350g water
• 100g active starter
• 10g salt
• Zest of 3 lemons (we’re going HARD on the lemon)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 30g honey

Instructions:

1. Standard sourdough process—you know the drill by now.
2. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and honey during the second stretch and fold.
3. The lemon juice adds acidity which can affect gluten development slightly, so you might need an extra stretch and fold or two.
4. Bulk ferment, shape, cold proof, bake as usual.

Tips & Chaos Notes: This bread is INTENSELY lemony and I love it. It makes the best avocado toast because the lemon brightens everything. Also incredible for sandwiches with turkey and swiss. My brother (the anti-blueberry guy) requests this constantly. The lemon juice can make the dough slightly wetter, so don’t panic if it feels looser than your usual dough.

10. Best Lemon Blueberry Sourdough Bread Recipe (The Perfected Version)

After making lemon blueberry sourdough literally dozens of times, this is my best lemon blueberry sourdough bread recipe—the one I’ve tweaked and perfected and tested until it’s exactly right. It combines everything I’ve learned from all my attempts (including the failures I don’t talk about).

Why it’s amazing: This is the Goldilocks recipe—not too wet, not too dry, perfect amount of berries and lemon, reliable rise, gorgeous crust. If you only make one recipe from this list, make this one.

Ingredients:

• 475g bread flour
• 25g whole wheat flour (adds complexity)
• 340g water
• 100g active starter (at peak)
• 10g salt
• Zest of 2.5 lemons (yes, half a lemon matters)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 25g honey
• 1 cup fresh blueberries (or 1.25 cups frozen)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (secret ingredient!)

Instructions:

1. Autolyse flour and water for 1 hour.
2. Add starter, salt, honey, lemon juice, and vanilla. Mix thoroughly.
3. Stretch and fold every 30 minutes for 3 hours. During the third fold, add lemon zest and blueberries.
4. Bulk ferment for 2-3 more hours until about 40-50% increase. Don’t over-ferment—I learned this the hard way with a pancake loaf.
5. Pre-shape gently, rest 20 minutes, final shape with tension.
6. Banneton, into fridge for 12-16 hours.
7. Bake from cold: Dutch oven at 450°F, lid on for 20 minutes, lid off at 425°F for 28-30 minutes.
8. Rest for at least 1.5 hours before slicing. I know. It’s torture.

Tips & Chaos Notes: The vanilla extract is my secret weapon—nobody can quite identify what makes this version taste different, they just know it’s special. The whole wheat flour adds a subtle nuttiness. The timing on the bake is specific because I’ve burned many loaves finding the sweet spot. This bread has the perfect balance of tang, sweetness, and fruit. It’s equally good toasted with butter or served at room temperature with nothing at all. I’ve brought this to parties and had people literally ask if I’d sell them a loaf. (I said no because I’m not trying to start a bakery, but it was flattering.)

Wrapping This Up (With Flour on My Hands)

So there you have it—ten lemon blueberry sourdough bread ideas that range from “I’m a beginner and terrified” to “I want to win the bread Olympics.” Not every recipe here is going to change your life, but every single one is worth making at least once. Some of these loaves have turned out gorgeous, some have been slightly lopsided disasters that still tasted incredible, and honestly that’s the beauty of bread baking.

The thing about sourdough is that it’s never going to be perfect every single time, and that’s actually fine? Some loaves will have a massive oven spring and make you feel like a professional baker. Others will be dense and you’ll eat them anyway because fresh bread is fresh bread.

My kitchen is a perpetual mess of flour and there’s always a jar of starter taking up space in my fridge, but there’s something deeply satisfying about pulling a hot loaf out of the oven and knowing you made it from basically flour and water and some wild yeast you’ve been keeping alive. Is that dramatic? Maybe. Do I care? Not even a little.

Try whichever recipe speaks to you—start with the easy discard one if you’re nervous, go straight for the cheesecake version if you’re feeling bold, or just make the classic and see where it takes you. Let me know which one you try first because I’m genuinely curious. Also let me know if you burn one because I’ve burned SO MANY and we can commiserate together.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go feed Bubbles and Berry and start planning next weekend’s bake. Maybe I’ll try adding lavender? Or cardamom? This is how the obsession never ends.

Happy baking! (And may your sourdough never turn into a pancake like mine did last month.)