July 27, 2023
Review RecipeRhubarb Bread
Table of Contents
I can’t think of anything better than a warm slice of this rhubarb bread to welcome spring. Moist and sweet with bursts of tart rhubarb, this quick bread will be a welcome addition to your breakfast table or afternoon snack.
A delicious quick bread is such an easy and versatile option when you have extra fruit to use. Our strawberry bread and lemon blueberry bread are two recipes that you can’t go wrong with.
Rhubarb Bread Ingredients
NOTE: It is essential to make sure that you do not eat the leaves or root or bottom stem area of rhubarb as it will make you sick.
You’ll need:
For the Bread
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ¾ cup milk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 2 cups fresh rhubarb, diced
For the Glaze
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 to 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 1 to 2 drops orange oil
SUBSTITUTIONS AND ADDITIONS
ORANGE FLAVORING: The orange zest in the batter and the orange oil in the glaze are really complimentary to the rhubarb in this simple bread recipe. You can omit them if you’d like.
CINNAMON: Add ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon for a little bit of added warm spice in your easy rhubarb quick bread recipe.
How to Make This Rhubarb Bread Recipe
STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease or line a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
STEP TWO: In a large bowl, combine sugar, orange zest, vanilla extract, vegetable oil, milk, and eggs. Whisk to combine well.
OUR RECIPE DEVELOPER SAYS
Using vegetable oil instead of butter adds extra moisture to the bread.
STEP THREE: In a separate bowl, sift together flour, salt, and baking powder.
STEP FOUR: Rinse the rhubarb and pat dry. It does not need to be peeled. Dice into small ½-inch pieces. Measure out 2 cups of diced rhubarb.
STEP FIVE: Gently fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients. Stir just until wet and dry ingredients are combined. Lumps and streaks of flour in the batter are fine.
STEP SIX: Mix rhubarb into the bread batter to distribute evenly, but do not overmix.
PRO TIP:
Over mixing once you have added the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients really toughens up the bread.
STEP SEVEN: Pour batter into the prepared pan.
STEP EIGHT: Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.
STEP NINE: Remove from the oven and cool. You can turn the bread out onto a wire cooling rack after it has cooled for an initial 10 minutes in the pan.
STEP TEN: In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the glaze.
STEP 11: Drizzle the glaze over top of the bread.
PRO TIP:
Make sure the bread is on a wire rack before pouring the glaze on top so that any excess glaze will run through the rack rather than leaving a puddle around the bottom of the bread.
How To Serve
Enjoy this moist rhubarb bread for a great addition to your breakfast table along with a homemade pumpkin spice latte. Quick breads are also a great gift to share with friends. Wrap in plastic wrap with a fancy bow before gifting.
MORE BREAD RECIPES
Storage
ON THE COUNTER: Wrap this tasty quick bread tightly with plastic wrap. Store on the countertop at room temperature for 3 to 4 days.
IN THE FREEZER: Freeze the homemade rhubarb bread wrapped in a layer of plastic wrap and a layer of aluminum foil for up to 1 month.
It’s nearly rhubarb season and this bread is a great way to enjoy the unique fruit. Rhubarb bread is moist, dense, and packed full of tart rhubarb flavor balanced by the sweetness of the glaze.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
You can often find rhubarb at the farmers’ market, and if you are lucky, you can sometimes find it at grocery stores as well.
The stems, roots and leaves of rhubarb plants are poisonous because of their high oxalic acid content. The rhubarb stalks however are not and can be eaten safely.
This easy rhubarb bread recipe freezes well and can be kept for up to a month.
More Recipes You’ll Love
- Eggnog Bread
- Carrot Bread
- Monkey Bread
- Peanut Butter Bread
- Blueberry Bread
- Strawberry Rhubarb Bread
- Peanut Butter Money Bread
- Gorilla Bread
- Chocolate Bread
- Apple Fritter Bread
- Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler
- Rhubarb Upside Down Cake
- Strawberry Rhubarb Cake
- Cream Cheese Banana Bread
- Snickerdoodle Bread
Rhubarb Bread
Ingredients
Bread
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ¾ cup milk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cups fresh rhubarb, diced
Glaze
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 to 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 1 to 2 drops orange oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, orange zest, vanilla, vegetable oil, milk, and eggs. Whisk to combine well.
- In a separate bowl, sift together flour, salt, and baking powder.
- Rinse the rhubarb and pat dry. It does not need to be peeled. Dice into small ½-inch pieces. Measure out 2 cups of diced rhubarb.
- Gently fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients. Stir just until wet and dry ingredients are combined. Lumps and streaks of flour in the batter are fine.
- Mix rhubarb into the batter to distribute evenly, but do not overmix.
- Pour batter into a greased or parchment-lined 9×5-inch loaf pan.
- Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and cool. You can turn the bread out onto a wire cooling rack after it has cooled for an initial 10 minutes in the pan.
- Whisk together the ingredients for the glaze. Drizzle the glaze over the bread.
- Drizzle the glaze over the bread.
Notes
- Using vegetable oil instead of butter adds extra moisture to the bread.
- Over mixing once you have added the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients really toughens up the bread.
- Make sure the bread is on a wire rack before pouring the glaze on top so that any excess glaze will run through the rack rather than leaving a puddle around the bottom of the bread.
Comments
Sarah says
I could eat this entire loaf by myself, it’s so delicious !
Nancy Lephart says
Can I use frozen rhubarb in this rhubarb bread recipe?
Layne Kangas says
Hi, Nancy – we haven’t tested this with frozen rhubarb, please let me know if you try it. Enjoy!
Tanya says
Haven’t tried this yet but will this week. Can it be frozen without the glace once baked?
Layne Kangas says
Hi, Tanya – yes, you can. Enjoy!
Sandy says
This was excellent. I didn’t have quite 2 cups of rhubarb so I added some quartered blackberries.
Judy says
I really love a sweet sweet bread and I was wondering how much I could increase the sugar without making this recipe fail because of my/our sweet tooth. I have only made a strawberry rhubarb pie in the past. Any information is appreciated. Thanks for sharing your recipe. **
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Layne Kangas says
Hi, Judy – we haven’t tried adding more sugar to this so I’m not sure how it would work. I think this is pleasantly sweet as is, hope you enjoy!
Pamela McK. says
I, sprinkled tornado sugar on top before baking.worked great. I, did not put the glaze on
Doro N says
Easy and delicious. I made it without orange zest and sprinkled with sanding sugar instead of icing drizzle. This is definitely a keeper.
Kathleen says
Wow. Finally, a rhubarb bread that was not too sweet. Plenty of oohs and ahhs in this house. Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful recipe. I will make over and over again.
Lyn says
Perfect sweetbread. I used monk fruit not sugar and no glaze. So so good
Karen says
I have seriously made this 3 times in the last week it is so good!Also quite easy,quick to put together and pretty enough to give away which only happened with one loaf…Thank you for your wonderful recipes😊
Amy Hawken says
Hello! Do you know if this bread freezes well to be eaten at a later date?
-Thanks
Layne Kangas says
Hi, Amy – you can freeze for up to a month. Enjoy!
Sheila says
Fast and easy to make! Everyone loved it!
Lori says
Far & away the best rhubarb recipe around! Super easy to make and the perfect balance of sweet and tart. I added grated orange peel and two or 3 tablespoons of orange juice to the bread replacing a little of the oil. I also grate a tablespoon of orange peel for the glaze which really sends it over the top!
Mary Ann says
Added cinnamon as suggested. Excellent results. Everyone enjoyed the bread even without the glaze.
Antonida kroeker says
Made this for a ladies tea, had so many comments on how delicious it was, it definitely was a great hit, many asked for the recipe, will be making again as I have plenty of rhubarb growing in my garden.