This New England classic steamed Boston Brown Bread recipe is adapted for today's home cooks, with tips for making it at high altitudes.
You can either use the traditional cans or use a steamed pudding mold, as I did. Instructions in the recipe card are for both methods. And when it's done, relax with a slice and a cup of ginger lemon honey tea.
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You would be forgiven for thinking this is a chocolate cake waiting patiently for frosting. Seriously, I kept wanting to dust it with powdered sugar.
But no. This is a bread. Yep. A steamed Boston Brown Bread.
🤷♀️ What is Boston Brown Bread?
Boston Brown Bread, called simply Brown Bread in New England, started appearing 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 It was originally made with less expensive coarse flours and sweetened with molasses, making it affordable to everyone.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 quick 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.
Thanks to the baking method, the texture is very dense and moist and tastes sweet from the molasses. Adjust the molasses to your own preferences, but this bread is almost like having a thick slab of rustic gingerbread for breakfast.
For fun, here's how a recipe read for this bread in the 1800's:
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
The secret to faster and easier meals often lies in the ingredients. For example, store-bought items and ingredients you make ahead and store in the refrigerator (or freezer) can turn a 60-minute recipe into a 30-minute meal or less.
For all ingredients, measurements, and directions, go to the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post.
- Graham Flour - this flour is slightly coarser than whole wheat, with a nutty, somewhat 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) of all-purpose flour, slightly less than ⅓ cup wheat bran (¾ oz / 15 g) and 1 ½ teaspoons wheat germ (2 ½ g). Alternatively, use whole wheat flour.
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Dark Molasses
- Buttermilk - As an alternative, use whole or low-fat milk with 1 tablespoon + 1 ½ teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, stirred until well combined, then set on the counter at room temperature for 5 minutes. It's not exactly the same but provides some of the milky tang of buttermilk.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links to products and foods I use in my kitchen. This means that at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. To view my entire storefront of recommended kitchen tools and equipment, check out my shop on Amazon.
🔪 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)
Detailed instructions for making Boston Brown Bread are in the recipe card below, but here's an overview!
Step 1
Prep the cans. Remove the paper wrapper from 2 empty, BPA-free 28-ounce cans. Wash and dry them, then oil 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
Mix and fill the cans. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl, and add the remaining ingredients. Stir just until combined.
Divide the batter between the two 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
Steam. Arrange the cans in a large heavy-bottomed pot on the stove, such as a large Dutch oven, 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 as best you can 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
Cool. Remove the cans from the water water and set them on a wire rack to cool. Once the cans 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
Step 1
Prep the mold. Lightly oil the inside of a Steamed Pudding Mold that has a tight fitting lid.
Step 2
Mix and fill the mold. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl, and add the remaining ingredients. Stir just until combined.
Pour the batter into the mold, tapping it on the counter to level out the batter. Snap on the lid.
Steps 3 and 4
Steam and cool. Follow the steps for the above Can Method. You may need to steam it longer, but check the temperature at 45 minutes to see how the bread if progressing.
🏔️ Making Boston Brown Bread 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.
- Always use a Steamed Pudding Mold. This type of mold is designed with a tight fitting lid that snaps on over the rim of the mold. Thanks to the tight fit, the mold is more successful in getting the internal temperature of the bread close to 200˚F.
- Steam for 60 minutes, and check the internal temperature with an instant read thermometer. If the bread hasn't reached 200˚F, replace the lid to the pudding mold, and finish it in a 375˚F oven (or toaster oven). At 7100 feet, it took me an additional 20 minutes.
Reduce the baking soda for your altitude. At 7100 feet, I reduced mine 25% to ¾ teaspoon.
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Boston Brown Bread
Equipment
- Steamed Pudding Mold (or 2 BPA-free 28-ounce cans)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (6 ⅔ oz / 180g) whole wheat graham flour, See Ingredient Notes in the post
- ½ cup (2 1/10 oz / 60 g) all-purpose 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 Ingredient Notes in the post
Instructions
Steamed Pudding Mold Method (Preferred)
- Spray the inside of the mold, the sides and the scooped bottom, with cooking oil. If you don't have a spray can, drizzle a little oil (such as olive oil) in the mold, and spread it on the sides and bottom of the mold using a paper towel.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
- Add the molasses and buttermilk to the dry ingredients, stirring just until combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared mold, and attach the top. It should be tightly fitted.
- Place the mold in a very large pot that has a lid. Fill with enough water to reach half way up the mold. Place a lid on the pot. If it doesn't completely close the pot, wrap the top of the pot with foil. You want to create a closed area as much as you can for the bread to steam in the pot. Otherwise the bottom half of the bread will cook, but the top half could be undercooked.
- Steam for 45 - 60 minutes. Check the bread at 45 minutes to monitor how quickly it's baking. Using an instant read thermometer, your goal is 200˚F. At higher altitudes, it can be difficult to get the bread to reach 200˚F, and you may need to finish it in the oven set for 375˚F. At 7100 feet, it took an additional 20 minutes for me. (See the High Altitude Tips in the post.)
- Remove the steamed pudding mold from the pot. Set it on a cooling rack and remove the lid. Once the bread cools room temperature, use a knife to loosen the bread from the sides of the mold, turn it upside down, and tap it lightly. The bread should slide out.
Can Method
- Remove the paper wrapper from 2 empty, BPA-free 28-ounce cans. Wash and dry them, then oil the bottom and sides with cooking spray. Cut two circles of parchment paper to fit the bottoms of the cans, press them on the bottom surface to lay them flat.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
- Add the molasses and buttermilk 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 large pot on the stove with water halfway up the cans. I weigh the cans down with small plates, to help seal the cans while the bread steams. The tighter the seal, the more effective the steaming.
- 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 reach 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.
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!!