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New England Brown Bread Recipe

New England Brown Bread - A Family Feast
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New England Brown Bread is a pumpernickel, corn meal, molasses, buttermilk raisin bread that is cooked in a can!

Ingredients

Scale

1 cup pumpernickel flour, or rye meal if available

1 cup coarse wheat flour, or graham flour if available

1 cup coarse corn meal

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon table salt

3/4 cup unsulfured molasses

2 cups buttermilk

1 cup raisins

Vegetable shortening, to grease the cans

Instructions

  1. Place a round rack in a pot bottom and set two empty cans into the pot which is tall enough to cover the can tops. If your pot is large, like ours was, place four empty cans in, hold them down and fill pot (not cans) with water until it comes halfway up the side of the cans. The two extra empty cans are just to stop the filled cans from tipping over during cooking if you are using a wide pot. Turn on the heat and bring the pot to just a bubble with the lid on to create steam. Steam will cook the bread.
  2. Grease two one-quart cans with vegetable shortening.
  3. In a large bowl, add pumpernickel flour, coarse wheat flour, coarse corn meal, baking soda and salt. Whisk to combine.
  4. Whisk in molasses and buttermilk. Once whisked and smooth, add in raisins if using and stir to combine.
  5. Divide the batter between two greased cans. The batter should fill two-thirds of the can, leaving room to expand while it cooks.
  6. Cover each with a piece of aluminum foil, shiny side towards the batter. Cut a piece of twine and tightly tie it around the foil to seal the top of each can.
  7. Place the cans in the pot standing up. If your pot is big, place two empty cans beside the full cans to stop the bread from tipping.
  8. Cover and steam for two hours.
  9. After two hours, poke through the foil of one can and if it is at least 200 degrees F., remove the can, remove the foil and twine, and push slightly on the top. It should bounce back.
  10. Place on a cooling rack and cool for one hour. Or if serving warm, slice immediately.
  11. Run a slim, thin knife around the inside edge to loosen then invert each out of the cans. Cut each loaf into 8 half-inch thick slices and serve two slices per person with butter.

Find it online: https://www.afamilyfeast.com/new-england-brown-bread/