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!
½cupcanola or vegetable oilunsalted melted butter may be subsituted
2large eggs
2teaspoonsvanilla extract
2cupsall-purpose flour
1 ½teaspoonbaking powder
½teaspoonbaking soda
1teaspoonground cinnamon
½teaspoonkosher salt
1cupstrawberriesdiced* (See Notes)
1cuprhubarbsliced thinly* (See Notes)
Crumble
½cupall purpose flour
¼cupgranulated sugar
¼cuplight brown sugarpacked
3tablespoonsunsalted buttervery well-softened to room temp
⅛teaspoonsaltor to taste
Glaze
1cupconfectioners' sugar
½teaspoonvanilla extract
3-5tablespoonsheavy creamhalf-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
*I was lucky enough to find fresh rhubarb as well as fresh strawberries and made the bread with fresh. I quartered the strawberries and the rhubarb I cut into 1/4-inch segments.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. 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.**While I do strongly recommend the crumble topping and the glaze, for a lighter version and to keep it less sweet overall, both can be omitted. If omitting the crumble, start checking the bread at 40-45 minutes since it will likely bake somewhat more rapidly.***A reader said she made this bread with full-fat whole milk yogurt in place of the buttermilk + lemon juice and said it worked just fine. I haven't tested it but am mentioning it in case you may have yogurt, but not buttermilk + lemon, on hand.