The last of rhubarb season is upon us!
We’re on a rhubarb kick and just couldn’t stop ourselves from sharing another rhubarb recipe this summer. For some reason, rhubarb hasn’t been common this year in the grocery store I usually go to in the center of Birmingham, so I have to trek to a separate store to find it. The other day, though, I went to a different grocery store in a completely different town on my way home from a hike. I guess since it was in the countryside, they had much better and bigger produce! Luckily, I found lots of rhubarb there and it was all on sale, too. So, I stocked up, Sofie did too, and thus this recipe was created: rhubarb almond buns!
Rhubarb almond buns – the flavor combo of your dreams
It’s no secret that rhubarb needs a sweet flavor to balance it out. That’s why lots of people cook it down with plenty of sugar, or use strawberries to sweeten it, or eat it with custard. Being Danish, when we think of sweet, we think of marzipan. Marzipan is an incredibly common and popular ingredient in Scandinavian baked goods, due to old trade routes with the Middle East. This is also why you’ll find cardamom as a central flavor in Scandinavian pastries, cakes, and other treats! But it’s important to note that marzipan in Scandinavia typically contains less sugar and more almonds than marzipan in the US or the UK, so it’s not as sweet as you might think, and it has a really delicious flavor. We find that when you combine this sweet and nutty flavor with tart and tangy rhubarb, it’s a really great combination.
Ingredients you’ll need
The dough for these buns is a classic enriched yeasted dough, meaning it has butter, sugar, and eggs in it. These do inhibit the yeast’s rise a bit, so they take a little while to make, but leave you with a soft, slightly sweet, and flavorful dough. For the dough, you’ll need yeast, milk, eggs, vanilla extract, sugar, salt, all-purpose/plain or bread flour, and softened butter. The fillings are a rhubarb compote, made with rhubarb (fresh or frozen), sugar, vanilla extract, and salt, as well as an almond filling, made with marzipan, softened butter, and sugar. If you want to make the marzipan from scratch, you’ll also need almond flour, powdered sugar, water, and almond extract. Optionally, you can make an icing with powdered sugar and water, and decorate the buns with some chopped or slivered almonds.
How to make rhubarb almond buns
To make these buns, there are a few components. Start with the rhubarb compote, since this will have to cool down in the fridge. Add rhubarb, sugar, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt to a saucepan on the stove, and let it cook down and release water until it becomes quite thick and has darkened a bit in color. Cover and place in the fridge to fully cool.
Then, you can make the dough by combining the ingredients and kneading until soft and smooth. Let this rise, and in the meantime, prepare the almond filling. Once the dough has doubled in size, roll it out into a large rectangle. Top with the almond filling, then the rhubarb compote, and roll it up. Carefully slice with a sharp knife (or use floss – some people swear by this tip!) and place close together in a deep baking dish. Let them rise again, and then egg wash and bake. Decorate if you want to, or just enjoy them as they are, warm and fresh out of the oven!
A not-so-tidy pastry to make
Now, if you don’t cook the rhubarb down enough or if you don’t let it fully cool, you might find yourself with a very sloppy filling, like I did once while testing this recipe. Don’t worry! Often, these end up being happy mistakes, because added moisture can actually do wonders for buns like these. That’s why everyone seems to be pouring heavy cream on their cinnamon rolls before baking them these days! So, these are meant to be a little bit messy to roll up and slice – that’s what gives them that moist and almost sticky texture once they’re baked. One thing that also makes a big difference is using a sharp knife to slice them, so hopefully that can save you some mess. But they’re absolutely worth a little bit of rhubarb compote on your kitchen counter!
Other rhubarb recipes for early summer
If you’ve still got rhubarb to spare, don’t worry! We’ve got rhubarb recipes aplenty. Take a look below and see what you might want to bake next!
- Rhubarb and White Chocolate Blondies: Easy to make and with the perfect balance of sweet and sour from the white chocolate and fresh rhubarb, these fudgy blondies are a delicious treat.
- Rabarberkage (Rhubarb Cake): A very simple sponge cake recipe with pieces of fresh rhubarb. As you eat it, you get lovely bursts of tangy and sour rhubarb throughout the sweet vanilla cake.
- Rabarberhorn (Rhubarb Crescent Pastries): These are such a tasty brunch treat, and actually a pastry you can find in many Danish bakeries because they’re so popular!
- Rabarbersnitter (Rhubarb Slices): If you’re looking for a rhubarb dessert that is as beautiful as it is delicious, this is the one to try. This is our rhubarb version of hindbærsnitter (raspberry slices).
- Rabarbertærte (Rhubarb Pie): The pie crust is beautifully flaky and buttery, the perfect contrast in texture and flavor to the soft and tangy rhubarb. Definitely one to try this summer!
- Strawberry and Rhubarb Crisp: If you need a very simple dessert to throw together, whether it’s for a big group or just your immediate family, this is a great option.
Rhubarb Almond Buns
Ingredients
DOUGH
- 2 tsp instant yeast (2.25 tsp active-dry yeast, 17.5g fresh yeast)
- 150 ml milk
- 50 grams granulated sugar
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- 1 egg yolk (room temperature)
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt
- 375 grams all purpose flour
- 57 grams unsalted butter (softened)
- Egg for egg wash
RHUBARB FILLING
- 340 grams rhubarb (chopped)
- 150 grams granulated sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
ALMOND FILLING
- 100 grams marzipan (see below for homemade ingredients, but you can also use storebought!)
- 57 grams unsalted butter (softened)
- 50 grams granulated sugar
IF MAKING MARZIPAN FROM SCRATCH:
- 50 grams almond flour
- 50 grams powdered sugar
- ¾-1 tbsp water
- ½ tsp almond extract
TOPPINGS (OPTIONAL)
- Powdered sugar
- Water
- Sliced almonds
Instructions
RHUBARB FILLING
- Make the rhubarb filling ahead of time by combining rhubarb, sugar, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt in a pot on the stove.
- Heat over medium heat, stirring often so nothing burns to the bottom.
- Once the liquid starts to release and the mixture comes to a simmer, turn the heat down to low, still stirring frequently.
- When the mixture has thickened enough so you can run a rubber spatula along the bottom of the pot and see the bottom for a few seconds, it should be ready. This could take anywhere from 10-20 minutes depending on how hot your stove runs.
- Transfer to another container and let cool for about 15 minutes, then transfer to the fridge to cool down completely.
MARZIPAN
- If making marzipan from scratch, follow these steps, otherwise skip ahead to the dough!
- Combine almond flour, powdered sugar, water, and almond extract in a bowl until it starts to come together. Then you can press it together with your hands until you get a playdoh-like consistency. Set this aside until ready to use for the filling!
DOUGH
- Heat up the milk, either in the microwave or in a saucepan, until it is "fingervarm" (finger warm), meaning it should feel warm to the touch but not hot. Measure out the sugar you will need for the dough in this recipe. If you're using active dry or fresh yeast, add the yeast along with a few teaspoons of the sugar you measured out (you can eyeball this!) into the warm milk and stir to dissolve. Let it rest 5-10 minutes until it begins to froth and bubble a little bit. (If your yeast doesn't do anything, it may be expired. Check the expiration date on the package and start over with new yeast!). If you're using instant yeast, you do not usually need to bloom it ahead of time and can add it right into a mixing bowl with all your other ingredients. If in doubt, check the package directions of the yeast you are using!
- Combine the egg, egg yolk, remaining sugar, vanilla extract, and salt in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix together well.
- Add the milk and yeast mixture to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine.
- Add the flour, stirring with a spoon, or using the dough hook on your mixer. Once the dough starts to come together, you can start kneading, either by hand on a clean work surface, or using the dough hook on the stand mixer (and turning up the speed a little bit).
- After the flour has been added, add the softened butter and knead until smooth and elastic, probably around 5-10 minutes. Add a bit of flour if the dough sticks to your hands or the surface. If you're using a stand mixer and notice the dough sticking to the sides, be sure to add a little bit more flour as well. The texture of your dough before its first rise should be soft and smooth, not sticky and not too dry. If the dough is feeling greasy in any way from the butter, it has likely not been kneaded enough – keep kneading and adding flour if you think it needs it!
- Place your dough in a bowl (or keep it in the stand mixer bowl/bowl you mixed the ingredients in), cover with a damp dishtowel or plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place (such as a turned off oven with the light on, or a spot in your kitchen that doesn't get any drafts) for about 45 minutes to an hour or until doubled in size. You can use the "poke" test to check whether your dough is done rising; if you poke the dough and it leaves an indentation and doesn't spring back immediately, it should be ready! Depending on the conditions in your kitchen, it could take up to twice as long to rise.
ALMOND FILLING
- While the dough is rising, combine marzipan, sugar, and softened butter in a bowl and mix together until well incorporated. Set aside until the dough is ready to be shaped.
SHAPING
- Once the dough is done rising, it's time to shape the swirls.
- Prepare a baking dish by buttering the bottom and sides. We use a 9" by 13" pan.
- Roll the dough out on a clean work surface into a rectangular shape. It should be about a quarter of an inch (0.5cm) thick and about 11" by 16" or 12" by 17" in size.
- Spread the almond filling evenly across the dough rectangle.
- Spread the cooled rhubarb compote over the top of the almond filling, distributing it evenly.
- Roll the dough into a log (from the short end, so there will be more swirls!)
- Cut the log into 12 equal-sized rolls. It helps to mark where to cut ahead of time and adjust as needed.
- Arrange the swirls into the baking dish, in a 4×3 grid.
- Cover and let rise for around 45 minutes, until the dough has puffed up to fill most of the gaps between the rolls.
- While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350F (175C).
BAKING
- Once the dough has risen for the second time, brush the tops of the rolls with an egg wash (one egg whisked together with a bit of water).
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden on top. Baking time will depend on your oven and the dish you use (glass takes longer than ceramic or metal), so they may need more time than this, but start checking at 25 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and set aside to cool down slightly.
ICING
- Mix together powdered sugar with water to get a glaze/icing. The thickness is up to you, but we usually keep ours pretty thick so it sets faster. Sprinkle sliced almonds over the top for additional decoration! Now it's time to enjoy!
- We like to eat these slightly warm, so after storing – we keep them in the fridge so they will last longer – be sure to heat them up in the microwave for a little bit before eating!
