Boston Brown Bread

1/2 cup graham or stone ground whole wheat flour
1/2 cup rye flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream, plain yogurt, or buttermilk
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
Butter for buttering the inside of the cans
-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with the rack placed in the lower third. Generously butter and dust with flour one 28-ounce can (or two 15 1/2-ounce cans).
-Put a kettle of water on to a boil.
-In a large bowl, fork together graham and rye flours, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in sour cream, molasses, and water. Fold in any raisins.
-Pour batter into buttered/floured can.
-Put can in a deep saucepan or #10 (gallon tin) can with a tight-fitting lid (foil is OK) and add enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the can.
-Cover the saucepan and bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 1/4 hours for 28-ounce bread or about 55 minutes for 15 1/2-ounce breads.
-Remove can from water and let cool slightly on a wire rack.
-Turn out bread, shaking can if necessary to loosen.
-Return to rack to cool completely.
This is a heavy dense bread but it’s batter bread and very simple to make. It goes well with Boston Baked Beans and I like it with an egg and many people like it with franks.

This can be cooked in an open fire too, like a camp fire. All the grains can be ground by hand, blender or a magic bullet grinder ..