Rhubarb is an incredible plant. I have one in the garden. I have never fertilized it. As a matter of fact, I never even care about it, unless I want to make some rhubarb pie. Nevertheless, it grows up with unremitting strength year after year.

It has been there since we bought the house 13 years ago. I forgot to ask the previous owner when it was planted. I’m not certain, however, that he could have answered it. I suspect it has been there for quite some time.

It’s strange how much effort you have to put on certain crops to make them grow, while others grow anyway. Like the rhubarb. It handles dry season very well, and no pests or diseases seem to affect it. Not even the infamous killer snail wants to touch it. Now, the killer snail is not as horrible as the name suggests. It’s a Swedish nickname for the Spanish slug that has invaded Scandinavia and is now running havoc in the gardens. The ingenuity of how to best kill these devilish beings is endless, and people are happy to share their experiences. But to no avail. The snails reproduce with ferocious speed and eat everything in their way. Except for rhubarb.

It rules.

The only problem is what to do with all the rhubarb. I mean, there’s a limit to how much pie you can make before it starts to go one’s nerves.
A solution can be Pinterest.

On Pinterest, you can find a lot of creative ideas. Here are a few examples that I will try this summer.

• Rhubarb curd from Vikalinka.
• Rhubarb BBQ sauce from Eatwell 101.
• Rhubarb sorbet from Simply Recipes.
• Rhubarb and ginger muffins from Jamie Oliver.
• Rhubarb fritters from Taste of Home.

I also found a recipe for rhubarb wine, but I think I pass that. Instead, I think this sounds more promising.

Rhubarb vodka from Leite’s Culinaria.

And I will also give you a recipe for pickled rhubarb. It’s a great way to take care of the abundance that rhubarb often provides. And it’s very easy to do. You just bring water, vinegar, sugar, salt, and concentrated apple juice to a boil. Add som anise and bay leaf and pour everything over some sliced rhubarb. Finished.
After 2 to 3 days it’s ready to be eaten.

It goes well with all sorts of grilled meat, especially pork. So try it for your next BBQ. And as apéritif, you can always enjoy a glass of rhubarb vodka. Or, perhaps you prefer to drink it as a digestif. Or both. I think I go for both.

Pickled rhubarb with anise

Why not make some pickled rhubarb for the next BBQ. The taste is both sweet and tart with a hint of anise, and it goes well with all kind of pork meat.

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Prep Time 15 mins

Total Time 15 mins

Servings 6 people

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 lb rhubarb
• 1/2 cup distilled vinegar 5%
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon concentrated appeljuice
• 3/4 teaspoon anise or one star anise
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

 

• Rinse the rhubarb and cut the stalks int 3/4 inch / 2 cm pieces and pack into sterilized jars together wit bay leaf. Add anise on top.
• Bring water, vinegar, apple juice, and sugar to a boil. Make sure that all sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and pour over the rhubarb and close the lid.
• Let cool off in room temperature, then place the jar in the refrigerator. You can keep it for at least two weeks. Can be eaten after 48 hours

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When I first read about this recipe, I was skeptical. Muscovado sugar in bread? Now, I love muscovado sugar. The aroma and taste are outstanding, and I’m always looking for a reason to add it to something. But bread?
Well, there’s only one way to find out, I said to myself. Just bake it. And so I did.

But I had to mess around a bit with the original recipe first. It called for both fresh yeast and sourdough starter. Nothing wrong with that, but I always try only to use a sourdough starter if possible. It gives me better control of the baking process, and the taste becomes far superior. It takes a longer time, of course, but that is signifiable for a lot of food that tastes good.

Before we go on, I would like to say something about hydration. Hydration can be a tricky thing if you’re sitting in Sweden and trying to write for both a European and American audience. The flour in the US and Canada is stronger than what we are used to in Europe, so don’t be surprised if American readers have to add some extra water to the dough.

For this bread, you need a smooth, not too loose dough. The crumb should be a little bit tight. It should be suitable for an open-faced sandwich with lots of ingredients on top. Therefore I advise you to be careful with the hydration. In this recipe, I have used hydration of 58%. You can start with that and perhaps add more water if the dough feels too stiff.

Another thing I decided to do was to reduce the amount of sugar. I know, I’m a coward. This is sourdough bread with muscovado sugar, but I’m not fond of very sweet bread. I have however included the original amount in the recipe list for those who want to give it a try.

The dough got one hour of autolyzing and then I used the stretch and fold technique instead of running the dough in a dough mixer. I like to work with the dough by hand. It may be because I’m an engineer and working with machines all day long. It’s simply nice to get rid of machines sometimes. Except for the oven of course. You can follow the process described here. Thanks to the low hydration, the dough is easy to handle.

Try to spread the sugar as evenly as possible. Muscovado sugar has a tendency to lump together so pay attention and try to find all of those sugar lumps during the stretch and fold process. Or run everything in a dough mixer if you have one. Then you don’t have to care about autolyze either.

This sourdough bread with muscovado sugar will be quite dark when you bake it. I suspect it’s because there is some sugar left that is caramelized. The dark crust adds flavor so don’t remove the bread too early from the oven.
I have baked this bread two times with different fermentation times. One longer in a colder environment and one at room temperature. I’m blessed with a basement with a maximum temperature of 60ºF / 16ºC, but the fridge will do just fine. It only takes a little longer.

A longer fermentation time increases the tanginess, something I recommend for this bread. It will have a hint of sweetness, something I prefer to balance with some acidity.
This is a tasty bread that fits best with similar foods. I have tried it myself together with a hearty lentil soup, but also as a sandwich with salami and other Italien cured meats. Or why not with some slices of cold-smoked salmon. I wonder if there is still something left of that bread? I think I have to go to the kitchen and find out.
See you.

Sourdough bread with muscovado sugar

A loaf of sourdough bread with lots of taste and a hint of sweetness. Perfect for a salami sandwich, or why not with some slices of cold smoked salmon.

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Cook Time 35 mins

Total Time 35 mins

Servings 2 loafs

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 450 gram Wheat flour
• 100 gram whole wheat flour
• 100 gram sourdoug starter wheat or rye
• 300 gram water
• 50 gram muscovado sugar or 75 gram according to the original recipe.
• 15 gram sea salt

Instructions

 

• Mix all ingredients except salt in a kitchen bowl. Let the dough autolysing for an hour.
• Add salt and stretch and fold the dough 8 to 10 times. Perform 3 sets of stretch and folds during bulk fermentation, spaced out by 30 minutes.
• Let the dough rest until it has risen about 20 - 50 %.
• Dump out the dough on a lightly floured working space. Divide it into two pieces and form each piece into a loaf. It's up to you to decide what type of shape you prefer. Boule, batard or whatever. There is a link in the recipe notes showing my way to form a loaf.
• Place the dough seam side up into bannetons or lightly floured towel-lined bowls. Use rice flour for the best result.
• Let the loaves rise in room temperature or fridge depending on how much sourness you want. Colder and longer fermentation results in a more sour taste. You can also start the fermentation at room temperature and end it in the fridge. Experiment until you find the procedure for your perfect loaf. I let my loaves ferment for 6 hours in 60ºF / 16ºC. Always cover the loaves with a plastic bag to prevent the surface from drying out.
• Preheat your oven to 480ºF / 250ºC with two oven plates. One to bake the bread on and one just below. If you have a baking stone you use that of course.
• Score each loaf and place them in the oven. Lower the heat to 440ºF / 230ºC. Pour some water on the plate below and bake each loaf for 35 minutes or until the inner temperature is 208ºF / 98ºC.
• Let the bread cool on wire racks.

Notes

In this post, you will find a description on how to form a loaf.

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