To Make Brown Bread
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the dough
In a large bowl, combine lukewarm water, molasses, and yeast.
Mix until stiff and let it rise until light.
Once risen, add baking soda and mix well.
Shape and bake
Shape the dough into loaves and place in a greased loaf pan.
Bake in a preheated oven at 400°F (200°C) until golden brown.
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
- Yeast
- Ferments sugars to produce gas that makes the dough rise and become light.
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness, moisture, and a dark color to the loaf.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the molasses's acidity to release gas, adding extra lift to the dough.
The step that matters
Let the dough rise until light. Yeast needs time to ferment and produce gas. Adding baking soda and shaping before the dough has risen can leave the loaf dense instead of light and airy.
“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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