Rhubarb Bread with Buttermilk and Brown Sugar Streusel
This tender, moist rhubarb bread is made with tangy buttermilk and topped with a buttery brown sugar streusel. The perfect summer sweet bread for using up fresh rhubarb from the garden.
The Best Thing You Can Do With Fresh Rhubarb This Summer
If you have ever stood in the garden holding a fistful of bright red rhubarb stalks and thought now what, this recipe is your answer. This buttermilk rhubarb bread is everything a summer quick bread should be: deeply moist, warmly spiced, and crowned with a buttery brown sugar streusel that bakes into a craggy, caramelized crust you will want to eat around the edges of first.
Rhubarb gets a lot of attention in pie and crisp recipes, but it is genuinely one of the best ingredients you can fold into a quick bread loaf. Its natural tartness cuts through the sweetness in a way that keeps every bite interesting. Paired with tangy buttermilk and a generous hit of cinnamon, the result is a loaf that smells like a proper bakery and tastes even better on day two.
Using the right tools makes a difference here, especially when it comes to your loaf pan and mixing approach. A heavy-gauge pan distributes heat evenly and prevents the dreaded sunken center, while a good rubber spatula keeps you from overmixing the batter.
Why Buttermilk Is the Secret Ingredient
If you have been searching for baking with buttermilk recipes, this loaf is a perfect place to start. Buttermilk does two important things: the acid reacts with the baking soda to give the bread a beautiful lift, and the fat content keeps the crumb remarkably tender for days.
No buttermilk on hand? No problem. A tablespoon of white vinegar stirred into regular whole milk and left to sit for five minutes makes a surprisingly good stand-in.
Chef's Tip: Do not skip lining your pan with parchment paper. Rhubarb releases juice as it bakes, and that sticky, jammy liquid can make the loaf difficult to remove cleanly without that paper sling.
Fresh Rhubarb Tips and Variations
For the best results, look for firm, deeply colored stalks with no soft spots. The redder the stalk, the more vibrant the color in the finished loaf, though green rhubarb is equally delicious and tart.
This recipe is also a beautiful base for creativity:
- Rhubarb and lavender: Stir 1 teaspoon of culinary dried lavender into the dry ingredients. The floral note is subtle and elegant, and it makes this one of the most memorable rhubarb and lavender recipes you will try.
- Rhubarb and strawberry: Swap half the rhubarb for finely diced fresh strawberries for a classic pairing.
- Orange zest: Add the zest of one orange to the wet ingredients for a bright citrus lift.
Whatever direction you take it, this loaf belongs firmly in your repertoire of rhubarb treats and rhubarb cakes for the season.
Baker's Note: Resist the urge to open the oven door before the 45-minute mark. The batter needs time to set before it can handle the temperature change, and peeking too early is the most common reason quick breads sink in the middle.
Getting the Streusel Right
The brown sugar streusel on top is what separates this from an ordinary rhubarb loaf. The key is keeping the butter cold when you work it into the flour and sugar. Warm butter will melt into the mixture and turn it greasy rather than crumbly. Use your fingertips quickly, or grate frozen butter directly into the bowl for even easier results.
Pop the finished streusel in the refrigerator while you mix the batter so it stays cold and clumpy right up until it goes on the loaf.
Ready to bake one of the best summer sweet breads of the season? Here is everything you need:
Rhubarb Bread with Buttermilk and Brown Sugar Streusel
This tender, moist rhubarb bread is made with tangy buttermilk and topped with a buttery brown sugar streusel. The perfect summer sweet bread for using up fresh rhubarb from the garden.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature, well shaken
- 3/8 cup vegetable oil, or melted coconut oil
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, pure, not imitation
- 1 1/2 cups fresh rhubarb, trimmed, cut into 0.5-inch pieces
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, for streusel, packed
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour, for streusel
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes, for streusel
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, for streusel
Instruction
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan well with butter or nonstick spray, then line it with a strip of parchment paper leaving an overhang on the long sides for easy lifting.
Make the streusel first: In a small bowl, combine the streusel flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add the cold butter cubes and use your fingertips to rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse, clumpy crumbs. Set aside in the refrigerator.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon until fully combined.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, buttermilk, vegetable oil, egg, and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold together gently with a rubber spatula until just combined. Do not overmix. A few small streaks of flour are fine at this stage.
Fold in the chopped rhubarb pieces with a few more gentle strokes until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread it into an even layer. Scatter the cold streusel topping evenly over the surface, pressing it on lightly so it adheres.
Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. If the top browns too quickly, tent loosely with aluminum foil after the 40-minute mark.
Allow the bread to cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes before using the parchment overhang to lift it out. Let it cool for at least another 30 minutes before slicing for the cleanest cuts.
Equipment
- 9x5-inch loaf pan
- Parchment paper
- Large mixing bowl
- Medium mixing bowl
- Rubber spatula
- Whisk
- Wire cooling rack
- Toothpick
Notes
Serving and Storing Your Rhubarb Bread
This loaf is wonderful slightly warm with a smear of salted butter, but it is honestly at its best the following morning. Overnight, the moisture from the rhubarb redistributes through the crumb and the flavors settle into something richer and more complex.
Slice it for a weekend brunch, pack it into a picnic basket, or wrap individual slices and freeze them for a quick weekday treat. However you serve it, it is a true celebration of what to do with rhubarb at the height of summer.
