Boston Brown Bread

Boston brown bread is a survivor from the era before reliable home ovens. New Englanders steamed their bread in upright tin cans set in a kettle of boiling water, and the technique stuck because nothing else gives you that same dense, moist crumb the color of dark coffee. Three flours work together here: rye for tang, cornmeal for grit, and whole wheat for backbone. Molasses ties them together and sets the deep, almost bitter sweetness the bread is known for.

Sour milk is the leavening partner. The acid in the milk reacts with the baking soda to lift the loaf, since this is a quick bread with no yeast. If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, the recipe’s vinegar-and-sweet-milk trick works perfectly. Two hours of steaming sounds long, but the bread can’t burn in a wet kettle, so the timing is forgiving. Slice thin and serve alongside a pot of Boston baked beans.

Kitchen Tips

• Use clean, label-free metal cans (a 28-oz tomato can works) and grease them well before adding the waxed paper rounds.
• Cover each can tightly with foil before lowering into the kettle. Water inside the can ruins the bread.
• Keep the kettle water at a gentle boil, not a hard one. Top up with more boiling water if it drops below halfway up the cans.
• The bread freezes beautifully. Slice the cooled loaf and freeze in stacks separated by parchment.

Variations

• Swap dried cranberries or chopped dates for the raisins for a fruitier twist.
• Add a teaspoon of cinnamon and a pinch of cloves for a spiced version.
• Use buckwheat flour in place of the rye for a nuttier, more rustic loaf.