What's Baking: Strawberry-Rhubarb Bread (Again!)

Okay, I swear this will be my last post about rhubarb bread until next spring. This recipe for strawberry-rhubarb is just slightly different than the one I posted last week; but it's just as tasty. It was in baking this loaf of bread that I learned about the importance of lining the pan with parchment paper prior to baking -- I admit I made a bit of a mess trying to pop the loaf out of the pan, as about half of the bread opted to stay firmly attached to the bottom of the baking dish. Luckily I was able to salvage two slices for a photo op; I can't say the rest of the loaf looked quite as photogenic. At least it still tasted good, crumbles and all!

Strawberry-Rhubarb Bread (printer-friendly version)

makes one 9" loaf

1/2 cup organic skim milk

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup raw sugar

1/3 cup organic canola oil

1 farmers' market egg

1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup chopped organic rhubarb

1 cup chopped organic strawberries

turbinado sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

2. Lightly butter a 9"x5" bread pan. Set aside. (As discussed above, I'd highly recommend lining the pan with parchment paper -lightly buttered - as well.)

3. In a small bowl, combine together the skim milk, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Let set for at least 10 minutes.

4. In a medium bowl, sift together the flours, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.

5. In a large bowl, stir together the brown sugar, oil, and egg.

6. Alternately add the flour mixture and milk mixture into the sugar mixture, stirring between each addition.

7. Fold in the chopped strawberries and rhubarb.

8. Spoon the batter into the prepared baking pan.

9. Sprinkle the turbinado sugar over the batter.

10. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the bread comes out clean.

11. Cool the bread in the pan on a wire rack for five minutes, then remove the bread from the pan and let it cool completely on the wire rack.