July 19, 2020

Rhubarb Biscuit Bake

Name: Rhubarb Biscuit Bake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 4 stalks rhubarb; ½ cup sugar; 3-4 tsp corn starch; 2 cups water; 8 Pillsbury frozen buttermilk or southern biscuits

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. We may earn compensation when you click on the links at no additional cost to you.

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Nothing quite says summer time to me like rhubarb. Growing up, we lived just across the field from my grandparents. One of my greatest joys was getting bored in the evenings and walking down the road to Grandma and Grandpa’s house to see what they were up to. It didn’t matter that I had probably just spent the entire day with them while my mom was at work. They knew about everything, and I loved to learn! One thing that I could almost always count on was that Grandma would have something delicious baking in the oven for Grandpa to enjoy later that evening. One of Grandpa’s absolute favorites (and now mine too) was what he called rhubarb biscuit bake.

My grandparents grew up in Kentucky in the part known as Appalachia. If you know anything about this area, then you know the people who lived there were quite resourceful since they were so poor. They learned to use every thing they had, and nothing ever went to waste. I have a feeling that this is where this recipe came from because I never remember my Grandma or Grandpa letting anything go to waste. They always had copious amounts of fruits from Grandpa’s orchard and vegetables from their garden, and they put it all to use.

I remember asking Grandma for this recipe. I had to have been about 20. I had just moved out on my own and gone to visit her and Grandpa. It was a sweltering summer evening, and like they always did before anyone left, they asked if I could use anything from the garden. We always joked that if Grandma thought you were too skinny, she’d offer you more food than you could take because she was worried you were going to starve. I don’t know if that’s what she was thinking that evening as I got ready to leave, and I’m sure that I really didn’t care. All that mattered was when she asked if I wanted any rhubarb, I immediately said yes. Grandma and Grandpa had the best brightest, ruby red rhubarb on Earth, and the memories of all the wonderful things she used to make with it when I was a kid came flooding back…including that rhubarb biscuit bake!

Since Grandpa passed away in 2017, Grandma sold the farm. It was too much for her to take care of by herself. So sadly, I don’t have rhubarb from Grandma’s anymore and have to settle for buying it at the store. Thankfully, I can still find bright red rhubarb just like Grandma and Grandpa used to grow.

I can still hear Grandpa’s tickled “Hee hee hee” laugh as he handed me a plastic bag FULL of rhubarb, when I immediately asked Grandma for the recipe for rhubarb biscuit bake. Grandma said she didn’t really have a recipe written down for it, but she could tell me how she made it. So of course I scribbled the instructions on the nearest thing I could find lying on the floorboard of my car-a yellow sticky note. Then we said our “See ya laters!” (It was NEVER goodbye. But that’s another post.), and I headed back to my new apartment to eagerly search for the ingredients to make rhubarb biscuit bake for breakfast the next morning.

The yellow sticky note that I found on the floor of my car and quickly jotted Grandma’s directions onto. It’s a cherished piece of paper these days.

Step 1

Wash 4 stalks of rhubarb, and chop it into pieces.

Step 2

Place the chopped rhubarb into a deep pan. Cover with 2 cups of water.

I LOVE these pans! We got them years ago, and they’re still holding up!

Step 3

Cook your rhubarb in the water over medium/high heat until it starts to boil.

Step 4

While you’re waiting for the rhubarb to boil, preheat the oven and prepare your pan for your biscuits. Grandma always made homemade biscuits, but I use frozen Pillsbury’s Grand’s Southern or Buttermilk Biscuits. I think the biscuits are what can make or break this recipe.

Step 5

Once your rhubarb begins to boil, add 1/2 cup sugar to it.

Step 6

Then add 3 1/2 to 4 teaspoons of cornstarch to the mixture.

Step 7

Stir continuously to keep from sticking and burning. Boil until the mixture becomes thick.

Step 8

Once thick, pour the mixture over your biscuits.

I have this pie plate in both blue and crystal. I LOVE how deep it is!

Step 9

Bake until your biscuits are done. For the type of biscuits I used, 30 minutes was perfect.

Step 10

Enjoy all that yummy rhubarb deliciousness!

These are so good that I can totally understand why Grandma would make them for an evening dessert. Besides, who says you can’t have breakfast for dessert? Or maybe it’s dessert for breakfast? No matter when you decide to make it, I hope you enjoy this as much as Grandpa and I did!