Lime Kiln Lighthouse - San Juan Island, Washington
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The Lighthouse Keeper's Rhubarb Bread
From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I have an unapologetic love for covered bridges and lighthouses. The bridges are predictable. The lighthouses, at least the ones I've seen, are unique. Both speak to times now past and both have become redundant. Communities struggle to keep them as monuments to a proud past, but I suspect their days are numbered. Today's recipe comes from a lighthouse keeper. A lighthouse keeper was the person responsible for tending and caring for a lighthouse, its lamps and lenses. The advent of electricity sounded their death kneel and global positioning systems delivered the coup de gras. In an effort to raise funds, while recording snippets of history, lighthouse societies in various parts of the country have collected recipes that capture the meals eaten by the keepers from the 1700's through to today. This recipe comes from the children's book "The Little Traverse Light" by Elizabeth Whitney Williams. The bread is easy and delicious - really delicious. If you don't like rhubarb substitute raspberries. You won't be sorry you tried this one.
The Lighthouse Keeper's Rhubarb Bread...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite adapted from The Little Traverse Light
Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups finely diced rhubarb
Topping:
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup brown sugar
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour 2 8x4-inch loaf pans.
2) Combine brown sugar and oil in a bowl. Stir until smooth. Add egg, buttermilk, salt, baking soda, vanilla and flour. Blend until moist.
3) Fold in diced rhubarb. Turn batter into prepared loaf pans.
4) For topping, combine walnuts, cinnamon and brown sugar. Sprinkle over batter.
5) Bake 50 to 55 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean. Turn out onto racks and cool before slicing. Yield: 2 loaves.
This post is being linked to:
Smiling Sally - Blue Monday
54 comments :
I am also an admirer of lighthouses, Mary, and I enjoyed looking at the beautiful ones in this post!
The bread sounds amazing - Thanks!
Oh, Mary... love that lighthouse! What a special place. We used to have a door on our downstairs bath in St. Augustine that came from the light tender's boat in St. Augustine. It was his hatch door. The light keeper was responsible for keeping the oil filled in the harbor lights during the 1800's. The door was quite old when it came our way through a local antiques dealer, and we enjoyed it in our St. Augustine house for many years. I took it out when we decided to list the house because I didn't want someone throwing it out should they decide it was too primitive to use. Instead, I had one copied by our carpenter for that same bath. So, as you can see, I love lighthouses and all things involving nautical travel, too.
And would you believe that I've never before eaten rhubarb??? I know that sounds provincial of me that I've never tried it, but it is not something that is regularly eaten in the South. Not quite sure why, but this bread sounds OH, so tempting! Thanks for sharing the recipe and the lovely pictures...
XO,
Sheila :-)
Hi Mary!
I have never heard of Rhubarb bread. I bet it is wonderful!
Have a great day!
What lovely photos of the lighthouses against those pretty blue skies!
Sounds like a yummy recipe for Rhubarb Bread. I have never tried it, in fact, I have never tasted Rhubarb!
Happy Blue Monday..
~Ann
Gorgeous! Your bread looks like it has sweet potato or pumpkin in it with the lovely autumn color, but the ingredients don't have it at all! Wow! How did you get such a deceptively delicious color? I've never tried rhubarb before (probably never will seeing as I never buy it) but looks good.
Mary...I do so love the lighthouse photos you've shared. Gorgeous, simply gorgeous.
Have a great week ahead.
It would be a lonely life, wouldn't it? Perhaps that's why time was spent developing delicious recipes.
Thanks for this one, and Happy Blue Monday!
Beautiful lighthouses against blue skies!
I love rhubarb! This bread recipe will have to get put away for early summer when rhubarb is plentiful here.
Becky K.
Your light house pictures are wonderful to look at -and your rhubard bread just sounds so delicious.
vickie
I love rhubarb but alas, we won't be having any more until spring! It's a cool weather crop and you can't even find it in the stores! I've made cakes and breads with it and it is yummy! Next spring, I'll have to try this one!
The Rhubarb bread looks enticing... Love th light house's photos too!
Here's my first Blue Monday entry.
I'm not a big fan of Rhubarb but I do love the lighthouses. Nice post!
Please join me in chasing fun with my son for Blue Monday!
that's a fun book and great idea for a fund raiser. I grew up near 3 covered bridges, and remember the day they had to declare one unsafe. After 3 years of fund raising efforts, it was finally demolished (in the public interest).
Progress
Wonderful lighthouse photos, Mary. They are special, aren't they? So is this bread. I'm a huge rhubarb fan so I know I will like this recipe.
Mary, I've recently (re)discovered that I really enjoy the flavor of rhubarb. So thank you for another wonderful way to use the plant!
Hello Mary. Great captures. Love the lighthouses.
Thank you for sharing.
I too love bridges and lighthouses. Your posts are always so interesting. I love to come here. Thank you so much for another great recipe.
p.s. I tried the Barnbrake bread but I killed the yeast and it didn't rize. I'm going to try it again soon though :>)
I LOVE covered bridges and lighthouses, too, Mary. Out here on the plains of West Texas, we have neither. Maybe that is why I like them so much. BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY is one of my favorite movies, which really doesn't have one thing to do with all this!! haaahhhaaa...
ANYway, I think this bread sounds delicious. I will make it with the berries instead of rhubarb.
Have a blessed day,
bj
We have a great lighthouse here where we live. Last year my hubby and I went to Vermont, there were so many great covered bridges.
Blessings!
Gwen
LOVE the lighthouses!!!
That bread looks yummy!
I love this recipe.The bread looks wonderful! It's a keeper to me. Thanks, Mary!
I fell in love with rhubarb this year. Thanks for a great recipe!
Just dropped by to see what I was having for lunch today. As always, noting but good eating. However, I really enjoyed the lighthouses. I have always liked them.
We were at the Kilauea Lighthouse just last year! It's spectacular to see the view and it brought back nostalgic memories for me.
I love the simplicity of this cake. Buttermilk and oil, I would imagine, would make this moist. I happen to like rhubarb and I could imagine enjoying this, warm, on a Sunday morning with a cup of Kauai Coffee that I have shipped to me monthly!
cool lighthouse! and the blue sky makes it looks great!
u may view mine if u have time
Thank you for posting this. I love reading about lighthouses. I find them so interesting. What a neat recipe. I will try this sometime with raspberries. Sounds wonderful!
Looks wonderful. Great shot and a cake - delicious.
Lighthouses are so romantic and we love visiting them! Your pictures are beautiful! An I do love rhubarb and the bread looks so delicious!
Living in the Northwest allows us to see the covered bridges and lighthouses. We do stop and look at them with thoughts of earlier days. We have our favorites!
I've got the recipe copied and headed for the kitchen! Do you think I could substitute the rhubarb for cranberries?
This recipe looks delicous, but not being in season right now, have you tried frozen rhubarb?
Karen, I have used frozen rhubarb. Make sure it is dry before putting it in the cake batter. Rhubarb is available year round here in Oregon so I don't usually use it in this bread, but it can be done. You can also use raspberries.
I have never tried Rhubarb before, this looks great! Thank you for sharing your recipe. The lighthouses are beautiful and I really enjoyed your pictures. Your site is always such a pleasure to visit!
How pretty! We went to Maine when I was in jr. high and I've had a love for lighthouses ever since.
I love lighthouses! If I had a den or home office I think I would do a lighthouse theme. Thanks for sharing the recipe it looks very good.
Love the lighthouse photos, Mary.I've always thought they were beautiful, so I find it sad that they are are no longer needed.
Rhubarb bread sounds delicious; I've not had it, but I'm sure the rhubarb really adds a lot of flavor! Thanks!
I love lighthouses as well. I grew up on the ocean. And, I also like rhubarb.
What beautiful lighthouses.
The rhubarb bread sounds really good. I like rhubarb but don't have a lot of recipes for it.
Hi Mary! Oh, these lighthouses are just so lovely! Beautiful photos and that bread looks delish!
Be a sweetie,
shelia ;)
I only had one recipe using rhubarb that I loved and I lost it. I'm bookmarking this one!
I love lighthouses. They are so solitary and sturdy and dependable, always on the job.
And your bread looks delectable. Never had rhubarb in bread but I can taste this! YUM!
Oh I so love lighthouses too! Door County, Wi has some fabulous ones! Wonderful recipe Mary, it just amazes me the recipes you find! Cindy
What a lovely loaf, I love rhubarb!
Mary,
I love lighthouses..there history is fascinating. You have some marvelous recipes..too bad I don't cook much anymore. I should ask though....do you have any low fat, low cholesterol snack recipes..I'd cook for that! :0)
Oh, and you are right..you would not believe how much Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville have grown. I live about 5 miles from Gatlinburg out on a mountain ridge...I love it here due to being able to have the wilderness around but at the same time only 15 minutes from just about anything. :0) The best of both worlds.
Thanks so much for stopping by my place.
Hugs,
Stephanie
Woow that lighthouse is so amazing, never seen a light house before only in the movie yours mine and ours.
Nice shot mary, and thanks for sharing such delicious recipe.
Hmm rhubarb. I should have put up some rhubarb. This looks very tastey Mary.
What a wonderful post Mary! Love the lighthouses and how fabulous that bread looks. Have a great week...
I have about 15 pounds of rhubarb in the fridge. I'm glad you posted this one.
I love covered bridges too.
This looks good, Mary. I will probably use raspberries cause I don't know where to get rhubarbs. I made your celery soup last night and it was really good. Thanks again for sharing our recipes!...Christine
Gorgeous -- the lighthouses and the bread. Thanks for such a lovely recipe. I would have never thought of using rhubarb. It's a great idea.
Those lighthouses are lovely. I have never eaten a rhubarb either. Not sure I even know what one looks like. Your bread looks delicious though (as do all your recipes)!
What a lovely Blue Monday post!
Have a great day,
Val
oh how beautiful!!! the lighthouses are from a storyland & the rhubard bread looks delectable!!! kindest wishes
Such a pretty bread--it looks so moist and delicious!
Hi Mary, I'm so glad you posted a good rhubarb recipe. The only thing in the entire lives of my children that they said absolutely made them sick to their stomachs was a rhubard pie I made in 1977. Well I of course was not married to Mike then so maybe if I make this I could entice him to eat it since he has no history with my rhubard creations. Mollye
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