Strawberry Rhubarb Brioche

I wanted an ode to spring. As I set about to think what would be the right way to celebrate this new season of growth it got me thinking about rhubarb and how it sort of heralds the arrival of spring for sweet “fruit.” Desserts made with rhubarb are tart and a gorgeous rose color, so really, it was just a matter of time before I decided I needed to find a way to make them into bread. The other spring time staple around where I live in California is strawberries. About now, they start showing up in quantity. I used to say my favorite season was strawberry season, and I may or may not have filled the hollowed out cavity of strawberries with heavy cream and nicknamed them strawberry shooters. So yes, strawberries needed a place at the spring celebration too. Lucky for me, they go wonderfully with rhubarb and are quite the classic pairing, but know that other berries, raspberries or (local favorite) ollalieberries would be lovely too. So, let’s get into it!

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Strawberry Rhubarb Brioche

Not quite a cake, but definitely a sweeter bread, this brioche is a delicious snack and makes a lovely breakfast.  Buttered please and thank you.  

Servings 2 loaves

Ingredients

Brioche Dough

  • 3/4 cup water warm
  • 1 3/4 teaspoons yeast
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1 1/2 sticks butter or 3/4 cup melted
  • 3 3/4 cup flour

Strawberry Rhubarb Filling

  • 3 cups 1 inch chopped rhubarb fresh or frozen
  • 1 heaping cup of small strawberries
  • 3/4 cup of sugar
  • Zest from one orange
  • Juice from one orange

Icing Drizzle

  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons milk you may need more, but start with less and add splashes as needed

Instructions

Prepare the Brioche

  1. Mix everything but the flour together in a larger bowl until the eggs and honey are well incorporated. Dump in the flour and stir together. It will look kind of lumpy and a lovely dark yellow color from the eggs and the honey. Make sure the flour is fully incorporated and the bread is fully together, albeit very sticky. You may need to add an additional tablespoon or two of flour, but know it will never come close to coming clean off the sides. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temp for two hours. After two hours, put the covered dough in the fridge, overnight is best, but at least an hour until the dough is chilled.

Prepare the Filling

  1. Dump the rhubarb, berries, juice and zest into a saucepan and cook until the rhubarb has broken down and the berries as well. You should have about 2 cups, but if you have a bit more try spooning it on some plain yogurt (or ice cream!). You won’t be sorry. Let the filling cool in the fridge until cool and thick. Overnight works great too.

Prepare the Bread

  1. Generously butter two loaf pans, making sure you get into the corners. This bread can be gooey in parts, so this is critical for getting it out after it has baked.
  2. Remove the bread from the fridge and divide into two balls. Roll the first ball out into an 8 by 16-inch rectangle. Spread half the strawberry rhubarb mixture over the inside of the dough, leaving a 1/2 inch border on all sides. Carefully roll the dough (starting with the narrow side) into an 8-inch long roll. Repeat with the other ball of dough, and the remainder of the filling.
  3. At this point, if you have time, you can refrigerate the dough for a bit before the next bit of trickery, or just move straight on. It will be messy either way. Gently saw the roll in half lengthwise, so the roll is a cross-section. Smoosh the the ends of one side together gently, and very carefully lay one side of the dough over the other, back and forth to make a slightly swirled bread. Try to keep the cut side facing up so you don’t lose all your goo on the board and very carefully plop the dough into the buttered loaf pan. Repeat with the other log and pan. Have faith–it’s okay if it looks messy. It will work out! Let the dough proof about 90 minutes in the pans, until poofy while the oven preheats to 350 F.

  4. Bake bread for 50-60 minutes, until deeply golden brown and the bread sounds hollow when tapped. Because the filling is wet, be on the look out for any parts of the top of the dough that look, well, like uncooked dough. You may need to add a couple of extra minutes. Let cool in the pans for at least 15 minutes. Then turn out on to a cooking rack. You may need to run a knife around the edges to fully release it from the sides. Let cool completely before adding an icing drizzle if desired.

Prepare the Drizzle

  1. Mix 1/2 cup powdered sugar with about 2 teaspoons of milk. You may need to add a few more splashes in, but you want to start with as little as possible so you have a fairly thick drizzle. Make sure to stir all the lumps out so your drizzle doesn’t appear lumpy. It definitely is noticeable on the bread, so take the time to mix or strain those lumps out. Once the bread has cooled completely, drizzle the icing back and forth over the bread and let it set up before slicing.