Recipe Book

Rhubarb and Strawberry Loaf

Bread 90 min

≈ 10 servings

Adapted from Rabarber- och jordgubbslimpa (family recipe)

Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 cup 280 g all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup 150 g granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup 50 g brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, preferably freshly grated
  • 2 large eggs
  • 7 tbsp 100 ml neutral oil (canola or sunflower)
  • 2/3 cup 150 g sour cream or Turkish yogurt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 2/3 cup 200 g rhubarb, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 cup 150 g strawberries, diced
  • 1 tbsp pearl sugar (or coarse sanding sugar), for topping

Method

  1. Set the oven to 175°C (350°F) using conventional top/bottom heat, not convection/fan. Grease a 1-liter (9x5-inch) loaf pan and dust with flour, or line with parchment paper, leaving some overhang on the long sides as handles for lifting the loaf out later.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg until evenly mixed. Scoop out about 1 tbsp into a small bowl and reserve it for tossing the fruit.
  3. Put the rhubarb and strawberries in a small bowl and toss with the reserved 1 tbsp of flour mixture. This coats the pieces so they don't sink to the bottom and helps absorb some of the juices they'll release. Pat the diced strawberries dry with a paper towel first if they're releasing a lot of juice.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together until smooth and slightly frothy. Whisk in the oil, then the sour cream, then the vanilla extract, until the mixture is uniform.
  5. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Fold gently with a spatula until just combined — a few streaks of flour are fine. Don't overmix; that toughens the loaf.
  6. Add the flour-coated fruit and fold in with just 3–4 gentle spatula strokes. The strawberries bruise easily, so treat them tenderly.
  7. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top gently. Sprinkle the pearl sugar evenly across the top.
  8. Bake in the middle of the oven for 50–55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. If the top is browning too fast around 40 minutes, tent loosely with foil for the remaining time.
  9. Let the bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes — a few minutes longer than usual because the fruit makes it more fragile when hot. Then carefully turn out (or lift by parchment handles) onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. Slicing while still warm tends to compress the loaf; patience pays off here.

Notes