Boston Brown Bread

Recipe: Boston Brown Bread

Summary: This bread dates back to Colonial days. Made from rye and wheat flours, cornmeal, molasses and raisins. Boston Brown Bread is always steamed (rather than baked) in a large can or mold.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups rye meal
  • 2 cups cornmeal
  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/3 cups dark molasses
  • 4 cups milk
  • 2 cups seedless raisins
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • hot water
  • aluminum foil
  • butcher’s kitchen twine, and one 16 oz. coffee can, empty and clean

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
  2. Grease a 16 oz. coffee can with butter.
  3. In a large bowl, combine both wheat and rye flours, cornmeal, baking soda and salt.
  4. Stir in molasses and milk; add raisins and mix to blend.
  5. Fill coffee can (or mold/baking dish) with batter; it should come up to about 2/3 of the way to the top.
  6. Cover top of the can with foil and tie with butcher’s twine to make it airtight.
  7. Place can (or mold/baking dish) into a larger, deep baking dish.
  8. Using a pitcher, carefully pour hot water into the baking dish so that the water comes about halfway up the outside of the coffee can (or mold/baking dish); place in the oven.
  9. Allow bread to steam for 2 hours, check water level after 1 hour and add more water if needed.
  10. To check if the bread is done, carefully remove twine and foil and stick a wooden skewer into the middle and pull it out.
  11. If the Skewer is clean, the bread is done; if the bread needs additional cooking time, cover with new foil and twine and allow to steam until done.

Preparation time: 10 minute(s)

Cooking time: 2 hour(s)

Number of servings (yield): 8

Culinary tradition: USA (Traditional)

Pin It
Share