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Boston Brown Bread



I had never made this before because the whole idea of making bread in a coffee can and then steaming it for a couple of hours seemed like a lot of faff. That being said, having made baked beans and having decided that -- due to the cold and snow I needed an oven project -- I was thrilled to discover a recipe that allowed me to make this in the oven instead.


I made the baked version of this recipe, with a few minor changes. I did not have raisins so I substituted a tablespoon of date syrup (Silan) which I thought would add the sort of fudgy-fruity taste that raisins usually bring to this bread. It worked. Rather than cover the bread tightly with domed aluminum foil, I baked the bread uncovered, adding a couple of cups of boiling water to a baking tray that I set below the bread tin. This also worked and seemed simpler than the aluminum foil topper. Should you decide to follow my cooking method please add five minutes to the baking time, for a total time of one hour and fifteen minutes.


Do not make this if you are alone as you will be tempted to eat slice after slice of it until it is gone. I actually went out in the bitter cold dark to give half a loaf to my neighbor -- not out of any generosity of spirit but to save myself!


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