Rhubarb Buttermilk Biscuit Jelly Roll

A tender buttermilk biscuit dough jelly roll, filled with a roasted rhubarb and strawberry filling, rolled up and baked to flaky, golden goodness.

So what we have here is a basic buttermilk biscuit dough, that is rolled into a rectangle and then simply folded like a letter. So perhaps this one is a bit more of a jelly fold, than a roll, but you get the idea :)

Encased inside is a lovely roasted rhubarb filling, with just a handful of strawberries added to the mix to bring an extra bit of sweetness and as a flavour foil for the rhubarb.

Before baking, the biscuit roll gets a brushing of buttermilk and a generous sprinkling of turbinado sugar. Once baked, the outside of this biscuit roll delivers the most lovely and crisp outside, that shatters when cut, like a pastry. And of course, inside is … well, a biscuit with jam.

Ingredients and substitutions

Rhubarb: I used fresh rhubarb and have yet to try this with frozen rhubarb. My thoughts are that frozen rhubarb should work just fine, as it will be roasted. I suspect the roasting time in the oven would be somewhat longer to allow the extra moisture to cook off.

You’ll want to roast the rhubarb until it is soft and almost all the liquid has cooked off, but before the rhubarb begins to brown or scorch at all. It should resemble stewed rhubarb. Fresh rhubarb in my oven took about 45 minutes to get to that point. For frozen, just keep an eye on it and allow to cook to that point, however long that takes.

Strawberries: You will just need 4-5 large strawberries here. If you prefer, you could use raspberries. About a rounded cup of raspberries should work. If you’d rather not use any berries (only rhubarb), simply increase the amount of rhubarb to about 4 cups.

Buttermilk: If you don’t have buttermilk, you can use regular milk or even cream or half and half. You can make a mock buttermilk by adding 2 tsp of lemon juice or white vinegar to 3/4 cup of regular milk and letting it stand about 10 minutes before using. To keep it cold for the biscuit making, place in the refrigerator while standing.

I haven’t tested this recipe with nut or soy milk, but I have no reason to believe it wouldn’t work. The quantity you will need to add may vary slightly, so add a bit at a time and as much as necessary in that case.

Salt: The recipe specifies kosher salt. The more coarse grains of kosher salt don’t dissolve completely during baking, so they leave behind a subtle, but distinct salty note here and there, which is a great balance with the sweet and fruit. If you don’t have kosher salt, use slightly less fine salt, about 1/2 tsp.

Sugar: I used regular white sugar for the biscuit dough, but went with turbinado sugar for the topping. Regular white sugar is fine for the topping, as well as coarse sanding sugar. Use whichever you prefer.

Flour: I have not tried this recipe with gluten-free flour. If you have had success with 1 for 1 gluten-free flour for biscuits before, there is no reason it won’t work here.

Step-by-step photos

Recipe tips!

• The roasted rhubarb mixture can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 5 days. If using immediately, be sure to allow it to cool completely and ideally, refrigerate a bit so it is cool, to avoid melting the butter in the biscuit dough before baking.
• As with most biscuits, it is important to use both cold buttermilk and cold butter. You’ll want to work fairly quickly and have only as much contact between your hands and the dough as necessary, as your warm hands will begin to soften the butter. It is “ready” when the mixture is coarse, with only pea-sized pieces of butter.
• After removing the dough to a well-floured surface, I used a bench scraper to fold the dough over and lightly press it down on itself. You don’t want to overwork it, but you do want to make sure it is evenly moist and not too crumbly.
• If you find the dough difficult to roll, gather it up, wrap it tightly and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes, then try again. A dusting of flour as needed, both underneath and on top, if the dough seems sticky.
• Be sure to check the bake at about 25 minutes in and if the top seems dark enough already, lay a sheet of aluminum foil loosely over top, then continue baking closer to the 35-40 minutes mark.

Making ahead, storing and freezing

As noted above, the rhubarb filling can be made ahead. The finished roll is best enjoyed the day it is baked, but will keep at room temperature for another day or so.

Leftovers can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Adapted from a Martha Stewart Recipe