Ingredients
Whipped vanilla bean butter
Method
1.Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Grease 14cm x 22.5cm (5½-inch x 10¼-inch) loaf pan; line base and sides with baking paper, extending paper 5cm above edges.
2.Combine coarsely chopped rhubarb in small baking dish with caster sugar and half the split vanilla bean. Bake, uncovered about 15 minutes or until rhubarb is tender. Cool. Drain rhubarb; reserve syrup.
3.Melt butter; combine in large bowl with brown sugar, eggs, extract and buttermilk. Stir in sifted dry ingredients then three-quarters of the rhubarb.
4.Spread mixture into pan. Top with remaining rhubarb. Bake bread about 1 hour. Stand bread in pan 5 minutes before turning, top-side up, onto wire rack to cool. Brush top of cooled bread with reserved rhubarb syrup.
5.Meanwhile, to make whipped vanilla bean butter, have butter at room temperature. Scrape seeds from remaining half of the vanilla bean into a small bowl of an electric mixer; add chopped butter and extract. Beat until as white as possible. Gradually beat in the sifted icing sugar.
6.Serve bread warm or toasted with whipped butter.
You will need about 1 bunch of rhubarb for this recipe.
Note
