Boston Brown Bread is probably the easiest (and cheapest!) bread you’ll ever make. It’s a no-knead, yeast-free quick bread, everything is mixed up in one bowl for easy clean-up, and it’s healthy and nutritious. It’s also egg-free, and easy to adapt to be vegan if you use a plant-based milk. Most New England brown bread recipes require setting the bread in a baking dish of water to steam it, and baking it or steaming on the stovetop. This version is a bit easier and instead covers the loaf pan tightly with foil to trap the steam inside, so you don’t need to worry about giving it a steam bath. And this recipe is made from scratch as an alternative to canned brown bread (yes, it’s a thing!), and from scratch is always better.
Ingredients in Brown Bread
Cornmeal – I prefer stone ground because it has a great texture.Rye FlourWhole Wheat FlourBaking Powder, Baking Soda, and Kosher SaltMaple Syrup – can be omitted if you like, or substituted with another sweetener like sugar, brown sugar, or honey.MolassesWhole Milk – this can be substituted with plant-based milk, buttermilk, or low-fat milk.Vanilla ExtractRaisins – these are optional. You can also use currants or another dried fruit. I used a mix of dark and golden raisins.
How to make Boston Brown Bread
Can I bake this in a can if I prefer?
Yes! For the purists out there, feel free to use a 29 oz. coffee can (or something similar) to bake this instead of a loaf pan.
How is this different from Irish Brown Bread?
Irish brown bread uses a mixture of white and whole wheat flours, rather than using rye and cornmeal, and is baked in a round loaf similar to soda bread. Here’s a great recipe for Irish Brown Bread if you want to give it a try!
My bread collapsed in the center- help!
This batter is quite wet and since the steam gets trapped in, don’t worry if it collapses a little bit in the center as long as it’s cooked all the way through! If this happens, you can just slice it upside down (which gives it more of that out-of-a-can authentic look anyway). Truth be told, this happened to me and I took these photos anyway!
Can I use sourdough starter in this recipe?
I’ve never tried it, but this sourdough brown bread recipe might be a good place to start.
What should I serve with New England Brown Bread?
Boston Brown Bread is often served with baked beans. I served mine with some BBQ baked beans from a local food truck here in Austin (Crimson Creek BBQ). Here’s a classic New England Baked Beans recipe you can try at home. Hot dogs sans buns also make a great, authentic accompaniment to the beans and bread. I also love the brown bread heated in the microwave and served with butter or cream cheese for breakfast or a snack.
Other New England Inspired Recipes
New England Baked HaddockMaple PuddingFish StewNew England Fish Chowder
Other quick bread recipes
Olive Oil Banana BreadPumpkin Chai BreadWhole Grain Lemon Poppyseed BreadJalapeño CornbreadChocolate Banana Bread
