This traditional steamed Boston Brown Bread recipe is adapted for today's home cooks, with tips for making it at high altitudes. The recipe was reprinted from All Stirred Up, with permission from the author, Laura Kumin.
You can either use the traditional cans, or use a steamed pudding mold, as I did as pictured.
Updated August 1, 2022
You would be forgiven for thinking this is a chocolate cake waiting patiently to be frosted. Seriously, I kept wanting to dust it with powdered sugar.
But no. This is a bread. Yep. A steamed Boston Brown Bread, adapted from a fabulous new book written by a friend of mine.
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What is Boston Brown Bread?
Boston Brown Bread, called simply Brown Bread in New England, started making its appearance at New England tables in the early 1800s. It was originally made with less expensive coarse flours, and sweetened with molasses, making it affordable to everyone.
The other thing that differentiates this rustic bread from others is that it was always steamed on the stove top, usually in cans. This way even home cooks lacking wood-burning ovens could make this bread.
The texture is very dense and moist, thanks to the baking method, and tastes sweet from the molasses. Adjust the molasses to your own taste, but it's almost like having a thick slab of rustic gingerbread for breakfast.
All Stirred Up
I found this recipe in All Stirred Up by Laura Kumin, which traces the Suffrage Movement with accompanying recipe sections. The history of the Suffrage Movement is fascinating, as are the recipes.
Laura not only provides a fabulous history of the Suffrage Movement, but also adapts historic recipes from that era so we can make them today in our own kitchens.
In truth, I love looking at recipes from earlier eras to see how our tastes, ingredients, measurements and cooking methods have changed.
For fun, here's the original recipe:
3 cups of Graham flour; 1 cup white flour; 1 cup Sorgum molasses; 2 ½ cups of sour milk; 2 even teaspoons soda; 1 large teaspoon salt; put equally in 4 large baking powder cans and steam 4 hours. -
-Louise Goring, Progressive Household Club
Main Ingredients
- Graham Flour - this is slightly coarser than whole wheat, with a nutty, slightly sweet flavor. As a rough substitute for graham flour, use a mixture of all-purpose, wheat bran, and (raw) wheat germ in the following proportions: ⅔ cup (2 ⅘ oz / 84 g) all-purpose, slightly less than ⅓ cup wheat bran (¾ oz / 15 g) and 1 ½ teaspoons wheat germ (2 ½ g)
- All purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Dark Molasses
- Buttermilk - As an alternative, use whole or low-fat milk with 1 tablespoon + 1 ½ teaspoons white vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon juice, stirred until well combined, then leave aside at room temperature for 5 minutes. It's not exactly the same, but provides some of the milky tang of buttermilk.
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Recommended Equipment
- Steamed pudding mold - if not using cans
- Heavy bottomed pot - it needs to be large enough to accommodate the cans (or steamed pudding mold, if using)
- Instant read thermometer
- Sharp knife - I use a non-serrated steak knife
- Cooling rack
Boston Brown Bread Instructions (Can Method)
Step 1 (5 minutes)
Prep the cans. Remove the paper wrapper from 2 empty, BPA-free 28-ounce cans. Wash and dry them, then grease the bottom and sides with cooking spray. Line the bottom of each can with a round of parchment and press it to lay flat.
Step 2 (10 minutes)
Mix and fill the cans. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl, and add the remaining ingredients. Stir just until combines.
Divide the batter between the 2 cans, tapping them on the counter to level out the batter. Cover the top of each can with foil, secured tightly around the sides.
Step 3 (60 minutes)
Steam. Arrange the cans in a large heavy bottomed pot on the stove, and fill the pot with enough water to come halfway up the cans. You may want to weigh down the cans to keep them stable during steaming. I used small plates.
Cover the pot and simmer for 45-60 minutes, until the breads are set on the top and sides. The bread should pull away slightly from the sides of the can. The internal temperature of the bread should be 200˚F / 93˚C.
Step 4 (20 - 30 minutes)
Cool. Remove the cans from and set on a wire rack to cool. Once the breads reach room temperature, use a knife to loosen the bread from the sides of the can. Turn the can upside down and tap it lightly. The bread should slide out.
Steamed Pudding Mold Method at High Altitude
The biggest challenge when steaming this bread at high altitudes is getting it to reach 200˚F. Here's what I do at 7100 feet.
Use a Steamed Pudding Mold instead of the traditional cans. This kind of mold is designed with a tight fitting lid that snaps on over the rim of the mold. The mold is more successful in getting the internal temperature of the bread close to 200˚F, thanks to the tighter seal.
- Cook for the recommended time in the recipe, and check the internal temperature with an instant read thermometer. If the temperature is less than 200˚F, finish it in a 375˚F oven (or toaster oven) in the mold. At my altitude (7100 feet), it took an additional 20 minutes.
Lightly spray the sides and scooped bottom with olive oil before filling with batter. When cooked and cooled, run a knife around the mold. Flip it upside down. The bread should easily release.
As always, reduce the baking soda for your altitude. At 7100 feet, I reduced mine 25% to ¾ teaspoon.
There is no need to adjust the liquid since the baking method is very moist by design.
Boston Brown Bread (Recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (6 ⅔ oz / 180g) whole wheat graham flour, See Notes
- ½ cup (2 1/10 oz / 60 g) all-purpose (white) flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt, (or ¾ teaspoon kosher salt)
- ½ cup (4 fl oz / 118 ml) dark molasses
- 1 ½ cups (12 fl oz / 360 ml) buttermilk See Notes
Instructions
- Remove the paper wrapper from 2 empty, BPA-free 28-ounce cans. Wash and dry them, then grease the bottom and sides with cooking spray. Line the bottom of each can with a round of parchment and press it to lay flat.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
- Add the molasses and buttermilk or soured milk to the dry ingredients, stirring just until combined.
- Divide the batter between the 2 cans, tapping them on the counter to level out the batter. Cover the top of each can with foil, secured tightly around the sides.
- Put the cans in a pot on the stove with water halfway up the cans.
- Cover the pot and bring the water to a simmer on medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low and keep it simmering for 45-60 minutes, until the breads are set on the top and sides. The bread should pull away slightly from the sides of the can. The internal temperature of the bread should be 200˚F / 93˚C.
- Remove the cans from the pot. Set them on a wire rack and cool the breads in the cans. Once they are room temperature, use a knife to loosen the bread from the sides of the can, then turn the can upside down and tap it lightly. The bread should slide out.
Notes
- I had more success using a Steamed Pudding Mold (pictured above) than the traditional cans, as I cook and bake at 7100 feet above sea level. This kind of mold is designed with a tight fitting lid that snaps on over the rim of the mold. The mold was much more successful.
- Placed the mold inside a large pot, such as a Le Creuset, filled with enough water to reach half-way up the sides of the mold. Periodically check to see if you need to add more water. I added more water after approximately 45 minutes to maintain that level. Steam for 60 minutes.
- Check the internal temperature with an instant read thermometer. If the temperature is around 192˚F, finish in a 375˚F oven for 20 minutes, in the mold. I used my toaster oven for this. If the temperature of the bread is higher coming out of the steaming pot, adjust the finish baking time down.
- Re-insert an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature. It should read at least 200˚F, and come out moist, but not liquidy. As Laura states in the recipe, the sides of the bread will pull away from the sides of the baking container.
- It was not necessary to line the mold with parchment paper when using a mold, but I did lightly spray the sides and scooped bottom with olive oil. The bread easily released when it cooled.
- As always, reduce the baking soda for your altitude. At 7100 feet, I reduced mine 25% to ¾ teaspoon.
- There is no need to adjust the liquid since the baking method is very moist by design.
Jane Bonacci
I've always wanted to make Boston Brown Bread - yours is absolutely gorgeous! I can't believe you were able to make the adjustments for high altitude and have it turn out so perfectly. Brava!!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much! I couldn't have done without the base recipe from Laura's book. And I love it so much, I'm going to try it in the Instant Pot next. I would imagine it would work beautifully. I just need to get the time right. Anything in the IP takes generally 20 -25% longer at my altitude.
Karen
Wow Susan, I'm so impressed with how you dealt with the altitude. Your bread looks perfect!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thank you so much! It was really fun to figure out the altitude part, but Laura gave me a great recipe to work with!
Jenni
I love that the original uses sorghum! I love sorghum and always have it on hand, so now I know what needs to happen...!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
How fabulous! Sorghum is hard to find outside of the southeast, so you're one of the lucky ones to have this at your fingertips. No way my local stores here in Nevada had it. I (and Laura) would love to hear how it goes with you if you make it! Many happy holidays to you!
Ansh
That looks absolutely divine! I really thought at first look that it was a chocolate cake! What a stunning recipe and your execution of it is beyond perfect!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
This was such a fun recipe to experiment with for high altitude, which is what you bake at too! Thank you so much!
Laura Kumin
My hat is off to you! I can't imagine what it takes to do high altitude baking. And to make the results look so delectable! Like you I'm fascinated by old recipes. Brown bread is not a recipe I knew before, but I've come to love it. Many thanks for joining in the celebration of suffrage and All Stirred Up.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I wasn't familiar with this bread either, and I lived in Boston and elsewhere in New England for several years. I loved discovering it and your book!! I'm off to read a little more of it right now 🙂
Lauren
It never even dawned on me that Boston brown bread was something you could make at home. I can't wait to try this!!