Vintage Recipe: Rhubarb Honey Bread Pudding

I love rhubarb.

We live in the Midwest where it grows in abundance. At a recent library cooking club meeting at Wells County Public Library, several people said they grew it in their gardens. I’m not one of them.

Maybe it’s the wrong soil around my house – at least that’s what I tell myself about my repeated failures.

Or maybe I just don’t have a talent for growing things (most likely). I’m ok with that.

But I still love to cook with rhubarb. This week my husband & I washed, diced and bagged 12 pounds of rhubarb purchased at a store.

We froze most of it, except for one 2-cup bag.

This I saved for – dare I say – an unusual rhubarb dessert.

Out of dozens of vintage cookbooks I’ve perused, looking for something different and fun and delicious to make, this one for Rhubarb Honey Bread Pudding caught my eye.

It was in ‘Cook’s Curios Cookbook’ (1956).

I had never heard of bread pudding made with rhubarb.

The really strange thing about this recipe is the lack of sugar in the mix.

Anyone who has worked with rhubarb knows it can be bitter – although I just heard from a rhubarb grower on Facebook who claims his raw rhubarb is sweet (more below about this grower).

Most rhubarb recipes call for a good amount of sugar. As our family is trying to watch our intake (I hear my family saying, ‘Yeah, sure!’), that has always been a source of concern.

But with this new approach of using natural honey, I had to give Rhubarb Honey Bread Pudding a go.

Was it yummy!

The recipe was simple to put together – within 15 minutes it was in the oven.

Although the original recipe didn’t call for an icing and I liked it well enough without, on the second round, the addition of this icing, culled from yet another vintage recipe, made it even better!

Try it both ways and decide which you like best.

The rhubarb grower mentioned above is a member, along with me, of a ‘Rhubarb!’ Facebook group. They are a friendly bunch.

I encourage you to join them as I did for more rhubarb tips and tricks.

Here’s my tip for this recipe:

The icing recipe calls for one cup of sugar, but try limiting it to one-half cup. I’m pleased with the result and will stick to this amount for the next batch.

Yes, I’m already drying out my bread for another batch of this delicious, easy, economical bread pudding!

Rhubarb Honey Bread Pudding

6 c. bread cubes (the drier the better)

2 c. of 1-inch rhubarb pieces

1 c. honey or molasses (I used ¼ c. molasses + ¾ c. honey)

¼ c. melted margarine

Combine honey with margarine.

Add 6 c. soft bread cubes & rhubarb.

Mix well.

Put into well-greased 9×13” casserole (I lined mine with parchment paper).

Pour ½ c. water over all.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Pour icing on top.

May serve when cool with whipped cream.

**

(From Bread Pudding recipe in Zanesville Church of God Cookbook from Zanesville, Indiana)

Dressing for top of bread pudding:

1 c. boiling water

1 c. sugar (I used ½ c.)

1 T. margarine

1 T. flour

1 t vanilla

Cook for 5 minutes. Pour dressing over it all or for each serving.

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