Boston Brown Bread Cooks in a Steamer

Molasses gives the bread ﬂavor, steaming makes it moist

BY JUDY MONROE

A pretty mold makes Boston brown bread more shapely. To remove the hot bread, simply invert the mold onto a plate and lift it off.

oston brown bread, as its name implies, hails TRADITIONAL INGREDIENTS, TIMELESS FLAVOR B from New England, where many people Recipes for Boston brown bread may vary slightly, have fond memories of grandmothers making the but its few ingredients have remained essentially moist, full-flavored loaf. They recall the bread’s unchanged since before the American Revolution. sweet taste of molasses and the telltale ripples that Back then, it was also called “one-thirded bread” revealed it was cooked in a coffee can. because it’s made with equal amounts of three My introduction to Boston brown bread, how- different flours, usually whole wheat, cornmeal, and ever, comes by way of Asia. A few years ago, while rye. It’s still made with these flours today, although doing research for a book on Asian cooking, I grew all-purpose white flour may be substituted for the quite fond of my bamboo steamer and the idea of whole wheat. steaming food. Around this time, I came across a Molasses gives the bread its distinct, some- recipe for Boston brown bread. The connection? what sweet taste. I use the more refined light- or Boston brown bread, for those of you whose grand- medium-grade molasses. Until recently, molasses mothers didn’t make it, is steamed, not baked. My often tasted of sulfur because sulfur dioxide was curiosity piqued, I made a loaf and fell in love with used to lighten and clarify the cane juice. Now- the bread’s ginger color, its dense yet moist texture, adays, most molasses comes unsulfured, which I

Photos: Dennis Gottlieb and its intense ﬂavor. much prefer.

FEBRUARY/MARCH 1996 51 Copyright © 1996 - 2007 The Taunton Press The rest of the bread’s short list of ingredients are the bowl has no lid, grease a piece of foil and secure salt, baking soda, and a liquid. it, greased side down, by pinching it around the rim For rich flavor, use buttermilk. Early brown of the bowl or mold. For added security, ring the foil bread recipes often called for water as the liquid in- with a rubber band, which is safe to steam. gredient, but I’ve found that the tang of buttermilk Many recipes recommend baking Boston brown helps balance the bread’s flavor, cutting its sweetness bread in an empty coffee can. But I’ve stopped using just a little. It may also explain why my Boston brown coffee cans since I read that the cans may release bread—which is delicious right out of the steamer— toxins when heated and that coffee companies them- sometimes tastes even better after a few days, as the selves advise against using the cans for cooking. buttermilk flavor becomes more pronounced. Whatever mold you use, grease it to keep the bread from sticking. Fill it with batter until it’s one- STEAMING MAKES THE BREAD half to two-thirds full: the extra space allows the WONDERFULLY MOIST batter to expand as it cooks. Be sure the mold’s lid is Steaming bread may seem a little unusual, but you tightly secured. If the bread is not well covered, A taut line of heavy don’t need any special equipment or skills to do it. steam that condenses on the inside of the steamer’s thread cuts a neat You simply pour the batter into a container, cover it lid may fall into the batter. This happened to me slice. Sawing slowly tightly, and steam the bread in a large pot on the once, and I ended up with a very soggy loaf of bread. with a sharp, serrated stovetop or in the oven. You do need a little time, Use a steamer or a large pot to steam the knife also works well. however, as the steaming takes about three hours. bread. I have a wonderful steamer that’s large That’s because steam cooks food at about 212°F— enough to easily accommodate my mold. To use a the temperature of boiling water—which is much steamer, bring a few inches of water to boil in the lower than standard bread-baking temperature. larger bottom pot. Set the mold in the smaller upper The right pan for steaming Boston brown pot (the one with the perforated bottom) with the bread is usually what’s on hand. I’ve seen cooking mold’s lid side up. Cover the steamer, lower the heat catalogs from the late 1800s that offer pans specifi- to simmer, and steam the bread for three hours. If cally designed for baking Boston brown bread. These you don’t have a steamer or a steamer insert, set a slender metal cylinders flare out slightly at the top rack or a trivet on the bottom of a large pot for the and come with a metal lid that fits the pan tightly. mold to rest on. Add enough water to come halfway Some lucky cooks have found or inherited such up the mold and steam the bread as you would in a pans, but I’m still looking. In the meantime, I do just steamer. Check on the water level occasionally and fine with a greased steamed pudding mold; it works add some boiling water if the level drops too low. perfectly because it’s heatproof and has a tight- You can also steam the bread in the oven, fitting lid. Pudding molds also come in a variety of something I often do while also making baked beans. shapes and make pretty loaves. No steamed pudding Follow the same steps as for steaming on the stove, mold? No problem. You can use any heatproof bowl, but use an ovenproof pot. The bread cooks in about such as stainless steel, Pyrex, or Corning Ware. If three hours in a 300° oven.

The bread batter should be almost smooth, with some small The bread steams on the stove in a steamer or a large pot. lumps. Pour the batter into a greased mold to prevent sticking. After three hours, it’s cooked and ready to eat.

52 FINE COOKING Copyright © 1996 - 2007 The Taunton Press UNMOLD THE BREAD AND SERVE IT HOT After three hours of steaming, your bread should be cooked. To test if it’s done, insert a toothpick in the center and pull it out; it should have just a few crumbs clinging to it, not any wet dough. Take the bread out of the steamer and let it rest for about five minutes in its mold (with the lid off). To get the bread out of the mold, lay an upside down plate where the lid was and turn the whole thing over so that the bread is already on the plate when you lift off the mold. Some people toast the freshly steamed loaf of bread in a 400° to 450° oven for five to ten minutes to dry the outside slightly, but I’m too im- patient: I slice it as soon as I unmold it. Traditionalists slice hot Boston brown bread with a taut line of heavy thread, insisting that this will keep the moist slices from compressing. I find that a sharp, serrated knife works just as well. If I’m careful and saw slowly, my slices are fine. Although it’s traditionally served alongside Boston baked beans, the bread makes great sand- wiches. I also toast slices and spread them with a little butter or cream cheese. An old-fashioned dessert I enjoy calls for breaking the bread into bite- size pieces and topping them with sweetened sour cream and a bit of nutmeg. Boston brown bread keeps for up to five days if tightly wrapped and refrigerated. It also freezes well.

The rich flavor of Boston Brown Bread In a large bowl, sift together the two flours, the corn- Boston brown bread meal, and the baking soda. Add the salt and mix. Make This is the traditional recipe, but you can experiment a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the needs little embellish- with other flours or dried fruit (see below). Note: Flour molasses and buttermilk to the well. Mix until almost ment. Spread a little quantities are given in weight (ounces) for cooks who smooth; the batter will be thick with some small lumps. use a scale and in volume (cups) for cooks who prefer cream cheese or butter a cup measurement. Serves six to eight. Pour the batter into the mold and cover with a lid or on a slice if you like, greased foil secured with a rubber band. Set the mold in but plain is good, too. 41⁄4 oz. (1 cup) whole-wheat flour the top half of the steamer (or on the rack in the pot). 1 4 ⁄4 oz. (1 cup) light or dark rye flour Cover, reduce the heat to a simmer, and steam the 1 5 ⁄4 oz. (1 cup) yellow cornmeal bread for 3 hours. It’s done when a toothpick inserted in 2 tsp. baking soda the center of the bread comes out almost clean, with a 1 tsp. salt 1 cup light or medium molasses few crumbs still attached to it. Remove the bread from 2 cups buttermilk the steamer and let it rest for 5 min. before unmolding.

Grease a 3-qt. stainless-steel bowl, pudding mold, or Judy Monroe is a food and health writer based in St. other container and set aside. Pour 2 inches of water into the bottom part of a steamer and bring the water to Paul, Minnesota, where warm Boston brown bread a boil. (Or set a rack or trivet in the bottom of a large helps her ﬁght the winter blues. A former cooking pot or Dutch oven, add water, and bring to a boil.) instructor, she has co-written three cookbooks. •

TRY OTHER FLOURS OR DRIED FRUITS FOR VARIATIONS ON BROWN BREAD You can’t make many alterations to the rye and substitute 1 cup of oat substitute 1 cup of all-purpose, the basic recipe or you may stray flour (which lightens and sweetens unbleached flour. too far from the traditional taste the loaf), buckwheat flour, or barley • Dried fruits plump up during the and texture. Here are some of my flour. long steaming and add sweetness. favorite variations. • To lighten the loaf in weight and Follow the master recipe. When the • For other whole-grain loaves, color, follow the master recipe, but batter is mixed, fold in 1 cup of rai- follow the master recipe, but omit in place of the whole-wheat flour, sins, cranberries, or chopped figs.