Classic Amish Rhubarb Crunch

Rhubarb is a sure signal of spring on Amish farmsteads and one of my earliest memories. Well, not earliest memories in my life, my earliest memories of visiting the Amish. I mean, it's difficult to forget the tart goodness of wonderful rhubarb. Rhubarb is one of the first fresh ingredients of the season in plain community gardens, and it rarely stays on the stalk for long — it gets harvested, chopped, and turned into something delicious almost immediately. Shortcakes, jams, pies, breads, and on and on, Amish cooks prize rhubarb for its versatility.

This Amish rhubarb crunch is one of the most common ways to use it. The advantages of a crunch is that it is simpler than a pie, heartier than a crisp, and the brown sugar oat topping bakes into something almost candy-like over the tart rhubarb beneath. In Amish homes, this kind of dessert gets served warm from the oven with a generous pour of fresh cream or a scoop of homemade ice cream. The dessert won't win any beautiful contents, but who cares? It'll all be gone fast anyway.

Rhubarb Crunch vs. Rhubarb Crisp — What's the Difference?

You'll sometimes see these terms used interchangeably, but there is a difference. A crisp typically has a lighter, more crumbly topping made primarily with oats and butter. A crunch — like this one — has a denser, chewier topping with more flour and brown sugar, which gives it that satisfying thick crust. Both are delicious, but the crunch holds up better and travels well, which is probably why it's been a staple at Amish potlucks and church dinners for generations. A buggy ride to a potluck over a mile or two of rut-filled, gravel roads can be bumpy, so a crunch can bump and rattle and sway and still end up intact at the end of the ride. And, besides, I do love that thick, dense crust.

Tips for Making Amish Rhubarb Crunch:

Fresh vs. frozen rhubarb: Fresh rhubarb is ideal when it's in season, but frozen works fine. If using frozen, thaw and drain it well first — excess moisture will make the filling too wet and prevent the topping from crisping properly. I prefer using fresh and I have some friends and family that have ample rhubarb patches that I can procure from.

Don't skip the flour in the filling: That 3 tablespoons of flour mixed with the rhubarb and sugar is doing important work, it thickens the juices as the rhubarb cooks down so you get a jammy filling rather than a watery one. So you want that filling to be thick, I don't like cutting into a crunch and having rhubarb juice all over everything.

The topping texture: You want the topping ingredients to come together in coarse crumbles, not a smooth dough. Use cold butter and work it in with your fingers or a pastry cutter until it looks like rough, uneven clumps. Those uneven bits are what create the crunchy texture and, in my opinion, make this recipe a winner.

How to serve it: Warm is best, straight from the oven with cold heavy cream poured over the top, some call this "the Amish way." But vanilla ice cream or whipped cream also work beautifully. Leftovers reheat well in a 300-degree oven for about 10 minutes.

Make it ahead: You can assemble the whole thing, cover it, and refrigerate it unbaked for up to a day. Pull it out while the oven preheats and bake as directed, adding 5 minutes if it's going in cold.

Amish Rhubarb Crunch

A delicious, authentic Amish dessert

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Course Dessert

Cuisine Amish

Ingredients

  

• 3 cups fresh rhubarb
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons flour

Topping

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup raw rolled oats
• 1 ½ cups flour
• ¼ cup butter or shortening

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 375.
• Mix rhubarb, sugar, and flour well and place in a greased baking dish.
• Combine the topping ingredients and sprinkle it over the rhubarb mixture.
• Bake at 375 for 40 minutes.
• It's done when a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Serve warm with milk or cream.⅔