Strawberry Rhubarb Bread

One of the best gifts anyone can give me is an ingredient. While others may want a ready-made food – a cookie, a bread, etc. I’d much rather have the berries, the chocolate or the oil, which I will then turn into the final product.

Yeah, I’m that person on your gift list that doesn’t take much work at all.

So I was thrilled earlier this week when a friend gave me some rhubarb. As I mentioned last spring with my rhubarb experiments I was never a fan of it growing up, but as I’ve learned of more things to do with it, I actually kind of like the stuff.

Another source of my rhubarb inspiration has been Two Peas and Their Pod. Maria shares her love of rhubarb in her recipes such as the Rhubarb Apple Bread which got me thinking about how to use my rhubarb.

Since we have so many strawberries, I just had to go with the classic combination. So I played around with a few ingredients and came up with a bread of my own.

There is something about a slice of seasonal quick bread and a cup of coffee on a beautiful Saturday morning that makes the entire weekend complete!

Strawberry Rhubarb Bread
Adapted from Rhubarb Apple Bread from Two Peas and Their Pod

Makes: 1 loaf

Ingredients

 1 ½ cups white whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
1 egg
¼ cup plain Greek yogurt (I use 2% or full-fat)
3 tablespoon butter, melted
¼ cup mascavo sugar
¼ cup Demerara sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup whole or 2% milk
¾ cup rhubarb, finely chopped
1 cup strawberries, finely chopped

Topping
1 tablespoon Demerara sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Prep

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8×4 inch loaf pan. (I used coconut oil.) (I also used one mini loaf pan and one 8×4 so I could give a small loaf away. My larger loaf was just a little smaller than yours will be. )

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and ground allspice. Set aside.

In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the egg and yogurt. Blend well on medium speed. Be sure your butter has cooled and slowly add that to the yogurt and egg.

Add ¼ cup of Demerara sugar and the mascavo sugar, mix on medium-high for about 2 minutes. Mix in the vanilla and milk.

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl. Mix on low just until the flour is incorporated. Remove the bowl from the mixer and gently fold in the rhubarb and strawberries, being careful not the break up the berries too much.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Mix the remaining Demerara sugar and cinnamon for the topping. Sprinkle it evenly over the loaf. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until a toothpick or knife inserted in the center comes out clean. (My mini loaf took 20 minutes and the less full 8×4 took 30 min.)