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Honey, Rhubarb, and Strawberry Bread
Honey, Rhubarb, and Strawberry Bread
This Honey, Rhubarb, and Strawberry Bread is dreamily tender and just sweet enough to justify enjoying it for breakfast, snack, and dessert. Dreamy!
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This Honey, Rhubarb, and Strawberry Bread had long been one of my long-time favorite breakfast treats. I created the recipe over 10 years ago, wanting to develop a rhubarb and strawberry treat I’d get to eat from breakfast to dessert. I’ve always found quick breads to be super handy for busy mornings: simply grab a slice and go!
My go-to quick bread is, predictably, banana bread, but during that magical, way-too-short period in late spring when both rhubarb and strawberries are in season, I gladly change up my routine and bake this beautiful rhubarb and strawberry bread instead.
Over the years, I’ve tweaked the original recipe, incorporating whole wheat flour and oats into the batter to yield a heartier, better-for-you strawberry bread. I’ve also played around with the rhubarb/strawberry ratio and found it best to set some of the strawberries on top of the batter before baking, instead of mixing them in. Not only does this finishing touch make the bread incredibly pretty, but it also prevents the batter from becoming too wet, all while providing the wonderful strawberry aroma I’m looking for.
You sure can enjoy this Honey, Rhubarb, and Strawberry Bread on its own for breakfast or as a snack—I always recommend warming up a slice, even if for a few seconds in the microwave, before indulging!
If you want to treat yourself though, I suggest toasting a slice, slathering it with butter, then drizzling it with a bit of honey. Or, even better, pair it with my Rosé, Strawberry, and Rhubarb Compote to enjoy a truly luxurious springtime breakfast!
Helpful Tips for Making Honey, Rhubarb, and Strawberry Bread
STOCK UP ON FRESH RHUBARB WHEN IT’S IN SEASON
Depending on where you live, rhubarb is in season from late April to June. This is the best time to stock up and freeze extra rhubarb so you can make delicious rhubarb desserts all year long.
To freeze rhubarb, cut off the large leaves at the end of each stalk (these leaves are toxic to humans, so make sure to discard them!). Clean the stalks under cold running water, then chop them into ½ to 1-inch pieces. Pack into freezer bags and keep, frozen, for up to 1 month if stored in a refrigerator freezer, or for up to 12 months if stored in a chest freezer or any other freezer made for long-term storage.
SUBSTITUTE FROZEN RHUBARB TO MAKE THIS BREAD ALL YEAR LONG
You can make this Honey, Rhubarb, and Strawberry Bread with either fresh or frozen rhubarb. When using frozen rhubarb, I like to thaw it in a colander so the excess water drips out. No need to squeeze the rhubarb; once it’s thawed to room temperature, you can simply pat it dry and add it to the recipe as instructed.
Do not use frozen strawberries, though!
Thawed strawberries are super watery, so using them in this bread would make cooking difficult. If you don’t have fresh strawberries, you can replace them with more chopped rhubarb for a super rhubarby treat! You can use frozen strawberries to make my strawberry and rhubarb compote, though; serve it with your sliced rhubarb bread to get that wonderful strawberry flavor, or slather a slice with your favorite strawberry jam.
Fan of maple syrup? Swap it in for the honey
If you’ve got maple syrup on hand, feel free to use it in this rhubarb and strawberry bread recipe instead of the honey. Simply use the same quantity and enjoy the wonderful aroma of maple syrup paired with tart rhubarb and sweet strawberries! After all, maple syrup is always a good idea.
Make sure to bake this strawberry bread all the way through
Both rhubarb and strawberries contain a fair amount of water, which will be released during the baking process. You’ll need to properly test this bread to make sure it is baked through before you take it out of the oven. Let me tell you: a half-cooked rhubarb and strawberry bread is a very sad and disappointing outcome!
To test whether the strawberry bread is ready to come out, simply insert a toothpick right in the center of the bread. The toothpick should come out clean, perhaps stained red with strawberry juices or with a few crumbs attached. But never wet!
If the top of the strawberry bread is golden brown but the bread isn’t baked through, set a loose sheet of aluminum paper over the top of the bread to prevent it from burning.
Honey, Rhubarb, and Strawberry Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- ½ cup whole wheat flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ½ cup whole milk
- ½ cup honey
- ¼ cup canola oil, or smooth-tasting olive oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped rhubarb
- 1 cup diced strawberries, plus ½ cup (65 g) sliced strawberries to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175ºC). Generously grease a loaf pan and line with a sling of parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the flours, oats, baking powder, and salt. In a second bowl, whisk together the milk, honey, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Pour over the dry ingredients and mix just to combine. Fold in the chopped rhubarb and the diced strawberries.
- Transfer the batter in the prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top. Set the sliced strawberries over the batter to create a pretty pattern.
- Bake the cake for about 70 minutes, until the cake is deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. IMPORTANT BAKING NOTE: Honey accelerates browning, so the top will brown before the bread is actually cooked through. After 50 minutes, check on the bread: if it looks beautifully golden brown, simply cover loosely with aluminum foil to stop the browning but finish baking the bread through.
- Set the loaf pan on a wire rack to let the rhubarb and strawberry bread cool completely to room temperature.
- STORAGE: Store the Honey, Rhubarb, and Strawberry Bread in an airtight container, or wrapped in plastic, at room temperature for up to two days, or in the fridge for up to a week. The bread can also be frozen for up to three months.
- SERVING: Serve the bread thickly sliced warm or toasted, slathered with butter and drizzled honey, or with rhubarb and strawberry compote alongside.
Did you make this?
Tell me how you liked it! Leave a comment or take a picture and tag it with @foodnouveau on Instagram.
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Author: Marie Asselin
This was the bread I needed! It is such a great way to start our week, with some freshly baked strawberry and rhubard bread. Kids loved it, so did we :)
Yes this bread is super kid-friendly! Not all kids enjoy the tartness of rhubarb, so combining it with sweet strawberries is the perfect trick to get everyone on board 😉
This sounds incredibly delicious! I love the combination of rhubarb and strawberries, it gives this bread such a mouth-watering moist texture!
The tender texture of this bread is definitely one of its selling points! 😍
This bread looks like a really tasty dessert and I like that it includes chunks of strawberry throughout.
It’s such a flavorful bread! The jammy chunks of rhubarb and strawberry make it irresistible.
This was so pretty that I just had it make it immediately! I’m so glad I did. The flavor is perfect and so lovely for summer. Thanks!
This is so lovely to read! Happy you enjoyed the recipe Erin.
What a gorgeous bread recipe! I really want to experiment with rhubarb this year and am adding this to my must-try list! Can’t wait!
You’re going to love this Lauren! This rhubarb and strawberry bread is really easy and such a delicious way to use up rhubarb while it lasts.
Such a perfect way to showcase rhubarb that is now in season! :) I wish I had a slice right now with my morning coffee.
I’m not gonna lie, a slice is indeed perfect for breakfast! Treat yourself, you won’t regret it!
Delicious recipe and your presentation is so perfect and tempting. Combination is just yummy.
Thank you Veena!
This bread tastes like summer! I love the freshness of the fruit and it was easy enough to make. Thanks for such a fruity and delicious recipe!
You’re so welcome! So happy you enjoyed this treat, it’s a delicious way to celebrate the beginning of summer 🥰
Oh my goodness, this Honey, Rhubarb, and Strawberry Bread is pure heaven! The combination of tangy rhubarb, sweet strawberries, and a touch of honey created a flavor explosion that is simply irresistible.
Happy you enjoyed it Sangeetha!
The strawberries came out all weird and mushy for me. Yours looks like the strawberries were baked exposed to air like the strawberries were put on top of the batter. But the instructions clearly say the batter is on top of the strawberries. What do you think I did wrong??
Hello Joyce! I’m sorry the bread didn’t come out as good as you expected. For the photo, I did add extra strawberries on top of the bread, to make it cute and add more strawberry flavor. The strawberries inside the bread should come out good though. Did you make sure to bake the bread through? I want to add a note that one should err on the side of adding a 5-10 minutes more baking time than you think is necessary. Strawberries contain a lot of water so a cake or bread that features them really must bake through or the berries can come out weird. Maybe that’s what happened to you? The other thing I’d suggest would be to dice the strawberries so they’re scattered in smaller chunks throughout the bread. Putting the strawberries in the bottom wasn’t practical and I’ve updated the recipe to reflect that.
In any case, I hope these tips will be useful!