Almond Rhubarb Bars with Sucanat & Sourdough
I received even more rhubarb this week with my CSA so time for another rhubarb recipe! As I’ve mentioned, these last couple recipes with rhubarb have been my first time baking with it ever so I’ve been looking for inspiration and recipes from other food bloggers with more experience incorporating rhubarb into baked goods. So this recipe is another adaptation from Smitten Kitchen - she has so many great rhubarb recipes I couldn’t resist putting the Naturally Sweet & Sourdough twist on another one of hers! I swapped out the granulated sugar for Sucanat and then incorporated some sourdough discard into the filling but other than that I stuck to her original recipe and it turned out so delicious. I especially like the taste of the crust - I think the Sucanat adds a nice nutty taste to it and I could honestly eat it on its own!
I hope you’ll give this recipe a try and maybe bring it to any Memorial Day picnics or gatherings you have going on this weekend. Enjoy!
Ingredients
For the crust:
130 g (1 cup) all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
40 g (1/4 c) Sucanat, ground in coffee/spice grinder
1/2 cup unsalted butter
For the filling:
75 g (3/4 cup) sliced almonds if you have them or whole almonds, toasted and cooled
10 g (1 tbsp.) all purpose flour
A couple pinches of salt
60 g Sucanat, ground in coffee/spice grinder
5 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 egg
1/2 tsp. almond extract
75 g sourdough discard
1/2 pound rhubarb, chopped (see the link to Smitten Kitchen for more detail on how to cut if you want the exact look pictured or feel free to just chop into even sizes)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F and butter a 9x9 square baking pan.
For the crust, combine the flour, salt, and Sucanat in a food processor. Then cut the butter into chunks and add in. Run the food processor until it comes together in a bowl (30 seconds to 1 minute).
Press the dough evenly into the baking pan and bake for about 15 minutes, until it’s a light golden brown. Remove from oven and if you have room, place in the freezer or fridge to cool it down a little so that it will be set enough to spread the filling on.
For the filling, add the almonds, flour, salt, and Sucanat to the food processor (no need to clean it in between making the crust and the filling). Grind until almonds are powdery. Cut the butter into chunks and add to the food processor. Run the food processor until butter is completely incorporated. Add the egg, almond extract, and sourdough discard and run until everything is incorporated.
Spread the filling over the slightly cooled crust. Then top with the rhubarb slices.
Bake the bars for 45 to 55 minutes, until the filling is cooked through.
