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Boston Brown Bread

sliced brown bread loaf

Makes: 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 cup corn meal
  • 1 cup rye meal
  • 1 cup graham flour
  • 2 ½ teaspoons baking soda
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup molasses
  • 2 cups sour milk (buttermilk) or 1 ¾ cups sweet milk (fresh milk)
  • 1 cup seeded and shredded raisins, prunes, or Zante currants (optional)

Directions

  1. Mix and sift the dry ingredients and add the molasses and milk.
  2. Beat thoroughly, then pour into a well-buttered pan until it is about three-fourths full. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
  3. To bake in the oven: Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake for about 1 hour. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes. When a toothpick comes out clean, the bread is done.
  4. To steam: Use a pot large enough to fit the bread pan. Fill with enough water to partly submerge the pan. Place a steamer or crumpled aluminum foil in the pot, and place the bread pan on top. Cover and steam for about 3 ½ hours. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the bread pan from the pot and remove the foil from the pan. Bake for about 10 minutes. When a toothpick comes out clean, the bread is done.
  5. If the bread seems likely to crumble, loop a string around the loaf and cut slices by pulling the ends of the string.

Notes

  • A steaming mold may be used in place of a pan covered with foil.
  • This may be made also with 1 ½ cups each of corn meal and rye meal and no graham flour.

Recipe from: Corn and its Uses as Food, 1923, and Aunt Sammy’s Radio Recipes Revised, 1931, adapted by the USDA Food and Nutrition Administration.