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Brown Bread

Brown Bread is a steamed and baked bread made with Indian meal, Graham meal, molasses, and yeast.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 7 ingredients
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Brown Bread

Brown Bread

Oven, in the book's wordsA hot oven

Ingredients

Directions

The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.

Prepare the batter

  1. Mix the salt, baking soda, and dry meals thoroughly in a bowl.

  2. Make a well in the center of the mixture.

  3. Pour molasses into the well.

  4. Add warm water to create a smooth batter, similar to Johnny cake consistency.

  5. Do not prepare overnight in summer.

  6. Let the batter rise quickly.

  7. Prepare the batter on Saturday morning for Sunday.

Steam and bake

  1. Steam the batter in the afternoon.

  2. Transfer the risen mixture to a well-greased bread boiler, leaving space for it to swell.

  3. Cover the boiler and steamer.

  4. Boil steadily for 4.5 hours.

  5. Remove the boiler after boiling.

  6. Uncover the boiler.

  7. Place the bread in a hot oven at 400°F (200°C) for 30 minutes to dry and form a crust.

Serve

  1. Serve hot.

  2. Reheat on Sunday morning.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Indian meal
Forms the main body of the bread and sets its coarse, hearty texture.
Graham meal
Adds the bulk and nutty, wholesome texture that defines the loaf.
Molasses
Adds sweetness, moisture, and a dark color to the bread.
Baking soda
Reacts with the molasses to help the bread rise and lighten.
Compressed yeast
Ferments the batter so it rises before steaming.

The step that matters

Leave space in the boiler for the batter to swell. The batter expands as it rises and steams, so filling the boiler too full can cause it to overflow or compress the loaf unevenly.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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