Great-Grandma's Boston Brown Bread Recipe: This New England Brown Bread Is From the 1800s Bread/Muffins

A staple in New England, Boston brown bread – called just brown bread in New England – is a moist, sweet bread made with raisins and molasses that's baked in aluminum cans. (Baked bean cans would be a good choice!) The bread is said to have made its appearance in the 1800s.

Serve this easy Boston brown bread recipe with cream cheese, butter, jam or jelly. The bread can be eaten at room temperature or warm. If you don't want to bake your own, you can buy brown bread already made in a can. 

Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour and 20 minutes
Servings: Makes 4 round loaves or 1 regular-size loaf

Ingredients

• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup boiling water
• 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Here's how to make it: 

1. Cover the raisins with the boiling water and allow them to sit for at least 10 minutes. 
2. In a mixing bowl, combine both flours, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in the egg. 
3. In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, molasses and baking soda. 
4. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients. Stir in the raisins. 
5. Spray four 15-ounce cans with nonstick cooking spray or a 9x5-inch loaf pan. Fill the cans about half full with the batter. Put the cans onto a baking sheet. 
6. Bake in a preheated 350-degree F oven for about 50 minutes. Remove the cans from the baking sheet and continue to bake another 10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 
7. Remove the cans from the oven. Use a sharp knife to trim any excess bread that's risen over the can top. Let the bread cool before removing from the cans. 

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