Looking for rhubarb ideas? Then you're going to love this scrumptious Rhubarb Bread recipe! Each bite of this tender, tasty loaf is filled with tangy rhubarb bits, crunchy nuts, and so much flavor!
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
I'm always looking for new rhubarb recipes. This delicious ingredient is only available for a short time each year, so when I spot it in my store, I stock up. And I can never get enough!
This delightful Rhubarb Bread has become a favorite new recipe, and one I plan on making every spring / summer from now on!
You are going to love this flavor-filled recipe! It's a simple quick bread, so there's no kneading or complicated techniques involved. And it has a wonderful texture, so dense, moist, and buttery with a tender crumb. Best of all, each bite is filled with tart rhubarb chunks, crunchy nuts, and warm spicy flavors. Yum!
Enjoy this rich quick bread for breakfast, brunch, an afternoon snack, or a yummy dessert after a spring / summer meal. No matter how your serve it, this recipe is sure to become a family favorite!
Ready to start baking? You'll find all the delicious details below ... just keep scrolling!
Ingredients
This tasty recipe uses simple ingredients! Here's what you'll need:
- Rhubarb - The key ingredient! When selecting rhubarb, look for firm stalks (discard the leaves, which are poisonous). Because you're dicing them up, any size stalk will work. Fun Fact: Did you know that rhubarb is actually a vegetable? It's true! Although it's typically eaten in sweet dishes, you can try it in savory recipes, too.
- Flour - You'll need all-purpose flour for prepare the batter.
- Sugars - This recipe uses a combination of sugars: granulated sugar and brown sugar for the batter; and demerara sugar (a coarse brown sugar) for the topping. The demerara sugar adds a nice crunch to this quick bread, but you can skip it if needed.
- Sour Cream - Rich sour cream helps make this loaf extra moist and it adds a wonderful tangy flavor, too. Full fat is best.
- Butter - Unsalted butter helps give the bread a buttery flavor and tender texture.
- Baking Powder - This recipe is full of rich ingredients. Baking powder helps the batter rise and lightens the texture.
- Lemon - A little fresh lemon juice and zest brightens up all the other flavors.
- Spices - This recipe uses a combination of ginger and cardamom, two warm, fragrant spices that pair perfectly with the rhubarb.
- Nuts - Walnuts add a lovely crunch to this tender quick bread. Feel free to substitute other nuts (such as pecans) or leave them out, if you prefer.
- Vanilla - A little vanilla extract enhances all the other flavors.
You'll Also Need
To prepare this recipe, you'll need a sharp knife, measuring cups and spoons, plus two mixing bowls (large and medium) and a whisk for combining the ingredients. You'll also need a 9x5-inch loaf pan to bake the bread ... I have (and love) this nonstick Circulon pan! A microplane zester and lemon juicer will also come in handy for prepping the fresh lemon.
How to Make Rhubarb Bread
This delicious Rhubarb Loaf couldn't be easier to make! You'll find a detailed recipe card below, but here's an overview of the steps:
- Whisk together dry ingredients. You'll start by whisking together the flour, baking powder, cardamom, ginger, and salt in a large bowl.
- Mix wet ingredients. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Once that's combined, whisk in the sour cream, eggs, lemon juice and zest, and vanilla extract.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients. Next, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, then fold them together with a spatula. Stop when everything is almost mixed together ... you should still see some flour in the mixture at this point.
- Fold in rhubarb and nuts. Add the rhubarb and nuts, then continue folding the batter together just until everything is completely combined. Do not over-mix.
- Transfer to bread pan. Spread the batter in a loaf pan (it will be thick), lightly smoothing the top with your spatula. Then sprinkle the top with coarse sugar. Tip: I like to decorated the top with more rhubarb pieces too, which gives the loaf an attractive look when it's done baking.
- Bake. Place the pan in the center of your oven, then bake the bread until it's well-browned, and a toothpick inserted in a few spots comes out clean. Tip: This is a very dense bread, so it's important not to under-bake it. Make sure to do the toothpick test, and the loaf should be quite browned when done, too.
Time to enjoy your beautiful Rhubarb Bread ... doesn't it look delicious? You're going to love the warm, tangy old fashioned flavor!
Variations
This recipe is perfect as-is! But if you can't resist experimenting, here are some easy ideas to try:
- Fruit Combo - Replace part of the rhubarb with another fruit, such as apples, blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries. You could even add dried fruit, like cranberries. Tip: If you use strawberries, toss them with a little flour before mixing them in. This will keep the juicy berries from making the bread too soggy.
- Nuts - Substitute your favorite nuts for the walnuts, such as pecans, almonds, hazelnuts, macadamias, or pistachios.
- Yogurt - Use Greek yogurt (full fat) in place of the sour cream.
- Spices - Experiment with other warm spices, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, or allspice.
- Ginger - Feel free to add candied ginger, or even fresh grated ginger, in place of the ground ginger.
- Orange - Swap out the lemon for orange juice and zest.
Storage
Let your Rhubarb Quick Bread cool completely, then store it in an airtight container at room temperature (or refrigerated, if your home is warm) for up to four days. Tip: Because there is so much moisture in this recipe, the bread will have the best texture when eaten within a couple days.
Related Recipes
Looking for more rhubarb recipes? Try one of these tasty treats next:
- Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
- Rhubarb Crumble
- Rhubarb Upside Down Cake
- Old Fashioned Rhubarb Cake
- Rhubarb Soda
- Rhubarb Lemonade
- Rhubarb Simple Syrup
If it's quick bread recipes you're searching for, you'll love my Strawberry Banana Bread (you could add some rhubarb to this recipe, too!), Coffee Cake Muffins, and easy Beer Bread recipe, too!
Rhubarb Bread
Ingredients
- nonstick cooking spray
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 large eggs
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups diced rhubarb
- ½ cup chopped walnuts (or other nuts, such as pecans)
- 1 tablespoon demerara sugar (optional, see note)
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls (medium and large)
- Whisk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray (or grease with butter). Set aside.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, cardamom, ginger, and salt in a large mixing bowl until thoroughly combined.
- In a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk together melted butter and granulated and brown sugars.
- Whisk sour cream, eggs, lemon zest, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and vanilla extract into butter-sugar mixture.
- Add butter mixture to flour mixture. Use a spatula to gently fold ingredients together, stopping when mostly combined (spots of flour should still be visible).
- Fold rhubarb and nuts into batter just until combined (do not over-mix).
- Spread batter in prepared loaf pan, lightly smoothing top.
- Sprinkle top of loaf with demerara sugar.
- Bake until well-browned and a toothpick inserted in center (and a few other spots) comes out clean, about 50 to 60 minutes.
- Let loaf cool completely before slicing. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
