Boston Brown Bread

This historic recipe is not as light as modern versions, but is still moist and spongy and delicious with flavors of rye and molasses

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City/Region: Boston, Massachusetts

Time Period: 1896

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Like Boston baked beans, one of the main ingredients of Boston brown bread is molasses. Endless variations exist that add dried fruit and/or nuts, and like with many regional specialities, every Bostonian thinks that their version is the right one. I played it safe and went with an indisputable classic: Fannie Farmer’s brown bread.

“1 cup rye meal
1 cup graham flour
1 cup corn meal
¾ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
¾ cup molasses
2 cups buttermilk

Mix and sift dry ingredients, add molasses and milk, stir until well mixed, turn into a well-buttered mould, and steam for three and one-half hours. The cover should be buttered before being placed on mould, and then tied down with string; otherwise the bread in rising might force off cover. Mould should never be filled more than two thirds full. A melon-mould or one-pound baking-powder boxes make the most attractive-shaped loaves, but a five-pound lard pail answers the purpose.”

— The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book by Fannie Merritt Farmer, 1896

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Ingredients:

• 1 cup (120 g) rye flour
• 1 cup (140 g) graham flour*
• 1 cup (160 g) cornmeal
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda**
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (180 g) molasses
• 2 cups (475 ml) buttermilk
• Walnuts, raisins, or currants, optional**

*Use stone-ground whole wheat if you can’t find graham.

**See notes below.

Instructions:

1. Place a steamer rack or trivet inside a large pot and fill with enough water to reach 1/3 to 1/2 of the way up the sides of two 15 oz cans. Bring to a light boil over medium heat while you prepare the batter.
2. Take two clean 15 oz cans and their lids and butter them well, being careful of sharp edges.
3. Sift the flours, cornmeal, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl and whisk together.
4. Add the molasses and buttermilk and stir until well combined. Once the liquid ingredients meet the dry, you want to work as quickly as possible to get the best rise.
5. Fill the cans no more than 2/3 full with the batter and smooth the tops. Place the lids on top, or cover with buttered aluminum foil. I used a lid and foil over it. Tie a piece of kitchen twine tightly around the foil near the top of the can, then crimp the extra foil around the string to secure it. You don’t want any moisture to get in.
6. Place the cans on the steamer rack in the lightly boiling water and cover the pot with a lid. Steam for 3 1/2 hours. Check every once in a while to make sure the pot doesn’t boil dry and add more water if necessary.
7. Carefully remove the cans from the pot and open the can. Let it cool for 20 minutes, then remove the bread from the cans (it should slide out easily).
8. Slice and serve it forth with salted butter.

Notes

• Modern recipes use a lot more baking soda, so you could probably double this for a lighter, fluffier bread.
• Fannie Farmer’s recipe is plain, but a lot of people make these additions, so feel free to do so if you’d like.

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