Strawberry Rhubarb Bread — This EASY, no-mixer quick bread is full of spring and summer flavors! Sweet strawberries and tart rhubarb are used to make this delightful bread that’s topped with a buttery CRUMBLE and then GLAZED!
Strawberry Rhubarb Bread Recipe
If you’re looking for the perfect way to incorporate spring and summer flavors into a homemade treat, this strawberry rhubarb quick bread is absolutely perfect!
It’s a little bit sweet, a little bit tart, and there are chunks of buttery crumble topping that really add not only another layer of flavor but also a nice texture contrast.
Finally, a touch of glaze on top of the bread helps bump up the sweetness just a touch although you could omit it if you’d like.
If you don’t have fresh rhubarb, not to worry! I addressed this below in the blog post so keep on reading.
Ingredients in Strawberry Rhubarb Bread
Despite it appearing that there are a lot of ingredients or that this is a complicated recipe, most everything you like have in your fridge or pantry with common ingredients. And if you’re lucky, you’ve got rhubarb growing in your garden or your neighbors do!
I broke the ingredients into sections to keep it more straightforward.
Bread:
- Granulated sugar
- Brown sugar
- Buttermilk
- Lemon juice
- Canola or vegetable oil
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Ground cinnamon
- Kosher salt
- Strawberries
- Rhubarb
Crumble:
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Brown sugar
- Butter
Glaze:
- Confectioners’ sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Heavy cream (half-and-half or milk may be substituted)
How to Make Strawberry Rhubarb Bread
This is an easy easy rhubarb recipe that requires minimal prep work. Here’s an overview of how the rhubarb quick bread is made:
- Whisk together the sugars, buttermilk, lemon juice, oil, eggs, and vanilla before adding the dry ingredients, and finally folding in the strawberries and rhubarb.
- Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan.
- Quickly make the crumble by combining the crumble ingredients and cutting the butter into the dry ingredients with a fork and add the fruits.
- Bake the bread for about 55 minutes before allowing it to cool and then glazing it.
- The glaze is a very simply whisk-together glaze made with confectioners’ sugar, a touch of vanilla extract, and then add the dairy until you achieve the perfect consistency.
How to Tell If Quick Bread Is Done
Baking a quick bread in a 9×5-inch loaf pan is often tricky because the bread will usually appear “done” on the top and sides, and often it will even rise or dome nicely in the middle while in the oven baking, but upon cooling sometimes will not only just fall, but will actually appear concave in the middle.
Why does quick bread fall?
Simply put, the internal temperature of the bread never quite got to where it needed to be in order to fully cook and set the loaf. Therefore, it will fool you into thinking it’s done in the oven but not when it’s out and cooling is when this dreaded problem tends to occur.
Can I put underdone quick bread back into the oven?
No, you cannot just put it back in the oven for another 10 minutes since by that point the internal temperature is far lower and 10 minutes really won’t get it to where it needs to be and you’ll simply just likely burn the top and sides. Sadly, you may have to just toss the whole loaf.
How can I tell if my quick bread is done?
- Use a food thermometer. It should read 200° Fahrenheit in the center of the loaf, about halfway down.
- You can also use a toothpick and if it comes out clean, the bread is done.
- To the touch, if you press lightly on the top and it will spring back and visually the top will be lightly golden brown.
How to Store Strawberry Rhubarb Bread
You can store strawberry rhubarb quick bread in a ziplock bag at room temperature for up to 48 hours.
If you want to store it longer, keep it in the refrigerator for up to one week. However, note that pastries and breads of any kind do tend to dry out a bit in the fridge.
You can also freeze this bread for up to 3 months. To thaw, do not open the bag until completely thawed so it doesn’t dry out.
Can I Use Frozen Rhubarb and Strawberries?
Fresh rhubarb usually correlates with the late spring and early summer months in the US. Depending on your area and grocery store, you may be able to find frozen rhubarb. However, at times this too may also be a seasonal item.
I was lucky enough to find fresh rhubarb as well as fresh strawberries and made the bread with fresh.
For those of you lucky enough to grow fresh rhubarb or find it in your local markets, you’ll want to use the trimmed stalks that are free from blemishes that you wash thoroughly beforehand.
However you can use frozen rhubarb and/or strawberries.
If you’re using frozen, measure out 1 heaping cup of each, then thaw it, and finally drain any excess water.
Can I Omit the Rhubarb?
If you can’t find either fresh or frozen rhubarb, although it won’t taste the same, you can use all 2 cups of strawberries or another combo of berries equaling two cups total.
Is Buttermilk Necessary?
In order to give this bread a lighter texture, help it to rise, as well as keeping it super moist and tender, you need to use buttermilk.
I have only made this recipe with real buttermilk and can’t say for sure how it would work with cheater’s buttermilk, aka mixing together lemon juice with regular milk until it curdles, and then using that. Nor have I made it with powdered buttermilk.
Let me know in the comments section if you try either of those options and how they work for you.
Can the Crumble Topping and Glaze Be Omitted?
You can make this bread a lighter version by omitting the crumble and glaze. The bread is still delicious, but it won’t be very sweet. That’s not to say it’s not sweet, just much less.
For those sensitive to sweets or if you goal is that this is more of a breakfast bread rather than a dessert, it’s a nice option.
Tips For The Best Strawberry Rhubarb Bread
Mixing the batter: Don’t over-mix or over-stir the batter. Unfortunately, that can lead to tougher bread.
Make sure to mix the wet ingredients separately from the dry ingredients as I indicated, then stir them together, and finally fold in the strawberries and rhubarb.
Butter temp: Very well-softened room temp butter will make for an easier time when you are mixing together the ingredients to form the crumble.
Making the crumble: When making the crumble, you are cutting the butter in, not actually “stirring”. This is what will help nice chunks of crumble to form. Stirring smooths it too much where as cutting or fluffing with a fork helps the crumbles take shape.
Baking tips: Finally, when baking the bread, if you notice the top and sides are browning a bit more quickly than you’d like before you believe the center is going to cook through, you can tent the loaf pan with a sheet of foil in the last 15 minutes of baking to help reduce that.
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Strawberry Rhubarb Bread
Ingredients
Bread
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- ½ cup canola or vegetable oil, unsalted melted butter may be subsituted
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup strawberries, diced* (See Notes)
- 1 cup rhubarb, sliced thinly* (See Notes)
Crumble
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, very well-softened to room temp
- ⅛ teaspoon salt, or to taste
Glaze
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3-5 tablespoons heavy cream, half-and-half or milk may be substituted
Instructions
Bread
- Preheat the oven to 350° F and spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray or grease and flour the pan; set aside. Tip - For easier and a more foolproof removal (you won't necessarily want to truly invert this bread to get it out of the pan so that the crumble topping doesn't fall off), make a parchment sling with a sheet of parchment that drapes over the sides of the pan and spray that as well with cooking spray.
- To a large mixing bowl, add the sugars, buttermilk, lemon juice, oil, eggs, vanilla, and whisk to combine; set aside.*** (See Notes)
- To a separate bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and whisk to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just until combined.
- Add the strawberries, rhubarb, and stir until just combined; don't overmix or your bread will be tougher.
- Pour the batter into the bread pan and lightly smooth the top with a spatula; set aside.
Crumble**
- To a medium bowl, add all ingredients, and cut the butter into the dry ingredients until small pebbles and crumbles form. Note that you are not "stirring" but rather are fluffing and cutting which is the technique that's needed in order to end up with crumbles not just a "paste".
- Evenly sprinkle the crumble topping over the batter and bake for about 55 minutes, or until the bread is springs back to a light touch, is lightly golden browned, a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean, and/or the internal temp reaches 200F as measured by a food thermometer.
- Allow bread to cool in the pan, on a wire rack, for about 30 minutes before carefully removing and placing on a wire rack to cool completely before glazing and slicing.
Glaze**
- To a medium bowl, add the confectioners' sugar, vanilla, slowly drizzle in the dairy, and whisk to combine. Add a touch more sugar or dairy depending on your exact desired glaze consistency.
- Evenly drizzle over the bread before slicing and serving.
- Bread can be stored airtight at room temperature for up to 48 hours noting that the crumble will lose a bit of crispness as time passes. If you want to store it longer, keep it in the refrigerator for up to one week. However, note that pastries and breads of any kind do tend to dry out a bit in the fridge. You can also freeze this bread for up to 3 months. To thaw, do not open the bag until completely thawed so it doesn’t dry out.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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great
great
I made this twice – It was really good and super easy!
I made this twice – It was really good and super easy!
I made this twice – It was really good and super easy!
so yummy!! i love it! i ll definitely try it!!
so yummy!! i love it! i ll definitely try it!!