Slow-Cooker Boston Brown Bread
By Leah ColinsPublished on October 16, 2019
Time
3 to 4 hours on high
Yield
Serves 6 to 8 (Makes 4 small loaves)
Slow cooker size
4 to 7 quarts
Ingredients
Before You Begin
You will need an oval slow cooker and four empty 15-ounce cans for this recipe. Use cans that are labeled BPA-free. We prefer Quaker white cornmeal in this recipe, though other types will work; do not use coarse grits. Any style of molasses will work except blackstrap. Brown bread is great as is or toasted and buttered.
Instructions
- Fold four 12 by 8-inch pieces of aluminum foil in half twice to yield rectangles that measure 6 by 4 inches, and grease 1 side with vegetable oil spray. Coat inside of 4 clean 15-ounce cans with oil spray.
- Whisk rye flour, whole-wheat flour, cornmeal, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in large bowl. Whisk buttermilk, molasses, and melted butter together in second bowl. Stir raisins into buttermilk mixture. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture and stir until combined and no dry flour remains. Divide batter evenly among prepared cans and smooth top with back of greased spoon. Wrap tops of cans tightly with prepared foil, greased side facing batter.
- Line bottom of slow cooker with parchment paper. Fill slow cooker with ½ inch boiling water (about 2 cups water) and set cans in slow cooker. Cover and cook until skewer inserted in center of loaves comes out clean, 3 to 4 hours on high.
- Using tongs and sturdy spatula, transfer cans to wire rack and let cool, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Invert cans and slide loaves onto rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour. Slice and serve. (Bread can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.)
Time
3 to 4 hours on highYield
Serves 6 to 8 (Makes 4 small loaves)Slow cooker size
4 to 7 quartsIngredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
This bread has a unique flavor that is rich in molasses, raisins, and complex whole grains. While most brown bread recipes are traditionally steamed in tin cans in a water bath on the stovetop, we moved the process to the slow cooker for a fuss-free version. For the batter, we used easy-to-find whole-wheat flour, rye flour, and finely ground cornmeal in equal amounts to give our bread balanced whole-grain flavor. Molasses, the traditional sweetener in brown bread, added a hint of bitterness. Baking soda and baking powder reacted with the acid in the batter to lighten the bread, and melted butter gave some richness to the lean loaves. To prevent the metal cans from staining the bottom of the slow cooker insert, we first lined the insert with parchment.
Before You Begin
You will need an oval slow cooker and four empty 15-ounce cans for this recipe. Use cans that are labeled BPA-free. We prefer Quaker white cornmeal in this recipe, though other types will work; do not use coarse grits. Any style of molasses will work except blackstrap. Brown bread is great as is or toasted and buttered.
Instructions
- Fold four 12 by 8-inch pieces of aluminum foil in half twice to yield rectangles that measure 6 by 4 inches, and grease 1 side with vegetable oil spray. Coat inside of 4 clean 15-ounce cans with oil spray.
- Whisk rye flour, whole-wheat flour, cornmeal, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in large bowl. Whisk buttermilk, molasses, and melted butter together in second bowl. Stir raisins into buttermilk mixture. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture and stir until combined and no dry flour remains. Divide batter evenly among prepared cans and smooth top with back of greased spoon. Wrap tops of cans tightly with prepared foil, greased side facing batter.
- Line bottom of slow cooker with parchment paper. Fill slow cooker with ½ inch boiling water (about 2 cups water) and set cans in slow cooker. Cover and cook until skewer inserted in center of loaves comes out clean, 3 to 4 hours on high.
- Using tongs and sturdy spatula, transfer cans to wire rack and let cool, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Invert cans and slide loaves onto rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour. Slice and serve. (Bread can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.)
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