A delicately sweet gluten free strawberry rhubarb bread that makes the most of seasonal produce. Pair juicy berries and tart chunks of rhubarb to make this easy one-bowl quick bread recipe.
When my small rhubarb plant bursts into leafy "bloom" I start planning all of the recipes I'll make with it. I fold it into scones or a cream cake, and I love swirling it with strawberries into any recipe, especially this one-bowl gluten free strawberry rhubarb bread. Plenty of tangy buttermilk creates a light crumb and my simple homemade gluten free flour makes a loaf you'd never be able to tell is gluten free. Celebrate the fleeting rhubarb and strawberry season and indulge in thick slices of this fragrant loaf - I know you'll love it.
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Recipe Highlights
Strawberries and rhubarb together is one of spring/summer's best-ever flavor combinations and I'm not kidding when I say I look forward to it all year. I love using fresh berries and fresh rhubarb to create this bread. A few more high points:
- Plushy and light crumb
- That buttery-sweet aroma while it's in the oven!
- Celebrates the best of spring
- Keeps well - bake mini loaves, freeze them, and give away or enjoy later
What Does Rhubarb Taste Like?
The overwhelming taste of rhubarb, especially if you're tempted to take a bite of a raw stalk, is very, very tart! Rhubarb is best paired with sugar, fruit, or honey to offset its mouth-puckering taste.
Is Rhubarb a Fruit?
Nope! Despite it being baked or cooked in mostly sweet preparations, rhubarb is a vegetable. It's distinguished by its deep red hue (although I'll note that you can also find rhubarb in green or pinker varieties). Because it's so sour you'll typically cook it with sugar or a fruit like strawberries to make it more palatable.
Ingredient Notes
This is what you'll need to make strawberry rhubarb bread, plus a few notes:
- Rhubarb - If you have garden rhubarb, definitely tuck it into this bread! Otherwise, pick up a few stalks at your store while it's in season.
- Strawberries - Fresh or frozen strawberries will work fine in this recipe. If you use frozen strawberries, defrost and drain them first before chopping them.
- Egg - You'll need a large egg for this recipe.
- Buttermilk - Real buttermilk gives this bread its tender crumb! In a pinch, add 1 tablespoon of vinegar to 1 cup of whole milk, let it stand for 10 minutes, then use it in place of the buttermilk.
- Oil - Use a neutral oil like vegetable oil or olive oil. You can also use coconut oil.
- Granulated sugar - Just enough sugar lends sweetness to the bread without making it too sweet.
- Baking powder - You'll need a lot of baking powder - the amount in the recipe card is not incorrect, I promise! - make this bread.
- Ground cinnamon - For a hint of warmth. You could also try ground ginger.
- Salt - I always use fine sea salt in my recipes!
- Gluten free flour - My gluten free flour blend is a nice choice for this bread, or you can use a 1:1 flour blend of your choice.
How to Make Rhubarb Strawberry Bread
Here's a little look at how to put this sweet bread together - the full details are in the recipe card at the end of the post.
- Prep: Lightly grease a loaf pan or mini pans and line with a sling of parchment paper.
- Whisk: In a large bowl whisk together the egg, buttermilk, oil, and granulated sugar.
- Add dry ingredients. Whisk in the baking powder, cinnamon, and salt, then fold in the flour.
- Mix. Stir to combine.
- Add strawberries and rhubarb. Gently fold in the rhubarb and strawberries.
- Add to pan. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top if needed, and preheat the oven to 350℉.
- Rest batter. Let the batter rest for up to 30 minutes, then place in the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out just with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool. Remove the bread from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes in the pan, then gently place it on a wire rack to cool completely.
A Few Easy Tips and Substitution Options:
- What about that pan? I used a metal baking pan, which is typically recommended when baking quick bread loaves. If you use a glass loaf pan, reduce the oven temperature to 325℉.
- What size for the loaf? I wanted to give away a few loaves when I photographed this recipe, so I made three mini loaves of strawberry rhubarb bread, which took about 30 minutes to bake. But you can bake the batter in a standard-size loaf pan, too. Budget about 1 hour of baking time for a full-size loaf.
- Nuts - Stir in about 1 cup of chopped walnuts for a little crunch.
- A little honey - I love pairing honey with strawberries and rhubarb. Substitute ½ of the granulated sugar for honey for a little hint of floral sweetness in the bread.
- Flour substitute - If you wish, use your favorite gluten free flour blend for my homemade blend (use 280 grams of flour). Or, try 2 ½ cups (280 grams) of oat flour for the blend.
- Hydrate! Don't forget to let the batter rest at least while the oven heats or for up to 30 minutes. This helps the gluten free flour to hydrate, resulting in a more velvety finished crumb.
Storage Options
Keep the bread on the counter in a plastic bag or tightly wrapped in foil for up to 3 days. Or, store it in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also can freeze strawberry rhubarb bread, tightly wrapped, for up to 3 months. Thaw the bread in the fridge before serving.
More Strawberry Rhubarb Recipes
Recipe
Gluten Free Strawberry Rhubarb Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup diced fresh rhubarb
- 1 cup diced strawberries
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 ½ cups gluten free flour blend (280 grams)
Instructions
- Lightly grease a standard 9×5 loaf pan or three mini loaf pans and line with a sling of parchment paper.
- In a large bowl whisk together the egg, buttermilk, oil, and granulated sugar until well combined and smooth. Whisk in the baking powder, cinnamon, and salt, then fold in the flour. Gently fold in the rhubarb and strawberries. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top if needed and sprinkle the top with 2-4 teaspoons of sugar.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and let the batter rest while it heats or up to 30 minutes.
- Bake for about 60 minutes for a full loaf or 30 minutes for mini loaves, or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out just with a few moist crumbs and the top is firm when lightly touched and lightly brown.
- Remove the bread from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes in the pan, then gently placed it on a wire rack to cool completely. Let the bread cool for at least 30 minutes so that the crumb firms and sets.
Notes
- I used metal baking pans, which is typically recommended when baking breads. If you use a glass loaf pan, reduce the oven temperature to 325℉. You can bake this bread in 1 standard-sized loaf pan or 3 mini loaf pans (shown).
- Storage: Keep the bread on the counter in a plastic bag or tightly wrapped in foil for up to 3 days. Store it in the fridge for up to 5 days. And, you can freeze rhubarb bread, tightly wrapped, for up to 3 months. Thaw the bread in the fridge before serving.
sandy says
Delicious tasting. Needed to increase time to 75 minutes, thought it was done but the bread still fell and remained doughy inside. I used a metal 9x5 baking pan.