flipBoston Brown Bread
Boston Brown Bread
Why this dish? Before Boston, Amy spent her childhood in Henniker, rural New Hampshire, where this dense, dark bread, steamed in a tin, was the ordinary bread of New England families, served especially on Saturdays with baked beans.
A moist, dark bread, made without an oven or kneading, steamed in a closed mold. A mix of cornmeal, rye, and wheat flours bound with molasses, it is the emblematic bread of New England daily life.
This is the bread of my childhood in New Hampshire, the one that was not baked in the oven but steamed, in a well-closed tin set in a pot of simmering water. My mother used three flours and a good dash of molasses, and patience was needed, for it cooked for hours. Sliced warm and buttered, it accompanied Saturday evening beans; it was simple, but I have never found that taste elsewhere. The frugality of our countryside had its sweetness.
- •Cornmeal — one cup (rustic base)
- •Rye flour — one cup (flavor and density)
- •Whole wheat flour — one cup (structure)
- •Molasses — three-quarters cup (sweetness and color)
- •Sour milk or buttermilk — two cups (liquid and leavening)
- •Baking soda — one teaspoon (leavening)
- •Raisins — a handful (sweetness (optional))
Boston Brown Bread
A moist, dark bread, made without an oven or kneading, steamed in a closed mold. A mix of cornmeal, rye, and wheat flours bound with molasses, it is the emblematic bread of New England daily life.
Why this dish? Before Boston, Amy spent her childhood in Henniker, rural New Hampshire, where this dense, dark bread, steamed in a tin, was the ordinary bread of New England families, served especially on Saturdays with baked beans.
This is the bread of my childhood in New Hampshire, the one that was not baked in the oven but steamed, in a well-closed tin set in a pot of simmering water. My mother used three flours and a good dash of molasses, and patience was needed, for it cooked for hours. Sliced warm and buttered, it accompanied Saturday evening beans; it was simple, but I have never found that taste elsewhere. The frugality of our countryside had its sweetness.
Ingredients (period version)
- Cornmeal — one cup (rustic base)
- Rye flour — one cup (flavor and density)
- Whole wheat flour — one cup (structure)
- Molasses — three-quarters cup (sweetness and color)
- Sour milk or buttermilk — two cups (liquid and leavening)
- Baking soda — one teaspoon (leavening)
- Raisins — a handful (sweetness (optional))
Ingredients
- Fine cornmeal — 120 g (rustic base)
- Rye flour — 120 g (flavor and density)
- Whole wheat flour (T110) — 120 g (structure)
- Molasses — 150 g (sweetness and color)
- Buttermilk (or milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice) — 45 cl (liquid and leavening)
- Baking soda — 1 tsp (leavening)
- Salt — 1 tsp (seasoning)
- Raisins — 80 g (sweetness (optional))
Method
- Butter a tall cylindrical mold (or a clean tall can) and have a lid or tightly sealed aluminum foil ready.
- Mix the flours, salt, and baking soda.
- Add molasses and buttermilk, stir without overworking, fold in raisins.
- Pour batter into the mold, filling it two-thirds full, and seal tightly.
- Place the mold in a large pot, pour boiling water halfway up the mold.
- Cover the pot and steam at a simmer for 2 to 2.5 hours, adding water if needed.
- Unmold while warm, slice, and butter generously.
How it was made : Steamed brown bread is a legacy of New England colonial kitchens, where the bread oven was expensive in wood. It was cooked in closed molds set in boiling water, sometimes suspended in the large bean pot. Molasses, imported from the West Indies, replaced costly sugar.
The contemporary twist : If you lack a steaming mold, you can cook it in canning jars in a water bath for individual servings to give as gifts.
Sources : Fannie Merritt Farmer, The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book, 1896
Amy Beach · Charactorium
