Sourdough New England Brown Bread Recipes

BOSTON BROWN BREAD (NEW ENGLAND BROWN BREAD)

Steps:

• Grease a 9x5 loaf pan (or for a more authentic version, a 29 oz. coffee can) with a generous amount of butter. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
• Whisk or stir together the cornmeal (1/2 cup), rye flour (1/2 cup), whole wheat flour (1/2 cup), baking powder (1 teaspoon), baking soda (1 teaspoon), and kosher salt (1 teaspoon) in a large mixing bowl.
• Add the maple syrup (2 tablespoons), molasses (1/3 cup), milk (1 cup), and vanilla extract (1 teaspoon) to the batter and whisk or stir together until everything is combined.
• Add the raisins to the batter and fold in.
• Pour batter in prepared baking dish. Cover tightly with foil (so the steam doesn't escape to keep the bread moist).
• Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before running a knife around the edge and gently removing it. Cool for 5-10 minutes longer, slice into 10 pieces, and serve slathered with butter with a side of baked beans.

NEW ENGLAND BROWN BREAD

Steps:

• Place 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon water, molasses, oil, sugar, salt, 1 cup oats, bread flour, and yeast in a bread machine in the order listed. Run "Dough" cycle.
• Remove dough from the bread machine. Shape into a round loaf, tucking ends in underneath. Transfer to a baking sheet and cover loosely with lightly oiled plastic wrap. Let rise until puffy, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Uncover dough and sprinkle 1 tablespoon oats on top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 40 minutes.

WHOLEMEAL SOURDOUGH LOAF

Steps:

• To make a sourdough starter: whisk 50g of the strong white flour and 50g of the strong wholemeal flour with 100ml slightly warm water until smooth. Transfer to a large jar or plastic container. Leave the lid ajar for 1 hr or so in a warm place, then seal and set aside for 24 hours. For the next six days, you will need to 'feed' it. Each day, tip away half the original starter, add an extra 25g of each flour and 50ml slightly warm water, and stir well. After a few days you should start to see bubbles on the surface, and it will smell yeasty. On day seven, the starter should be bubbly and smell much sweeter. It is now ready to be used.
• To make the sourdough bread: tip both the flours, 325ml warm water, the salt and the starter into a bowl, or a mixer fitted with a dough hook. Stir with a wooden spoon, or on a slow setting in the mixer until combined - add extra flour if it's too sticky or a little warm water if it's dry. Tip onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 mins until soft and elastic - you should be able to stretch it without it tearing. If you're using a mixer, turn up the speed a little and mix for 5 mins.
• Place the dough in a floured bowl and cover with cling film. Leave in a warm place to rise for 3 hrs. You may not see much movement, as sourdough takes much longer to rise.
• Line a medium bowl with a clean tea towel and flour it really well or flour a proving basket. Tip the dough back onto your work surface and knead briefly to knock out any air bubbles. Shape the dough into a smooth ball and dust it with flour.
• Place the dough, seam-side up, in the bowl or proving basket, and leave at room temperature for 3 hrs, or in the fridge overnight, until risen by about a quarter.
• Place a large baking tray in the oven and heat to 230C/210C fan/gas 8. Fill a small roasting tin with water and place in the bottom of the oven to create steam. Remove the tray from the oven, sprinkle with flour, then tip the dough onto it.
• Slash the top a few times with a sharp knife to make a pattern, then bake for 35-40 mins until golden brown. It should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Leave to cool on a wire rack before slicing.

SOURDOUGH BROWN BREAD

Steps:

• If using an ABM, place ingredients in bread machine pan in order according to the manufacturer's specifications.
• Select dough cycle and press start.
• If using KitchenAid mixer, or doing by hand, combine all ingredients and knead.
• Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and shape into desired loaf.
• Place in greased loaf pan and let rise, covered, until dough has doubled.
• Uncover and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until bread sounds hollow when tapped.
• Immediately remove from pan and let cool on wire rack.
• For a soft crust, brush top with melted butter.

SOURDOUGH NEW ENGLAND BROWN BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients.
• In a smaller bowl, mix together the molasses, milk, and sourdough starter
• Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir to mix well.
• Grease the inside of 4 wide-mouth pint canning jars with butter.
• Divide the dough among the jars.
• Cover each jar with aluminum foil.
• Place jars in a canning basket. Lower basket into a water bath canner with boiling water. The water should be about ⅔ of the way up the jars.
• Reduce heat and steam bread for 1 - 1½ hours or until done. Check occasionally to make sure the canner doesn't boil dry.
• Remove from canner. Let cool slightly. Remove bread from the jars. You may need to run a butter knife down the side of the jar to gently dislodge the bread.
• Cool on a cooling rack.
• Sliced bread can be steamed to re-heat.
• Optional Steaming Directions:
• Use a large pot instead of the water bath steamer. Place something on the bottom of the pot to keep the jars off of the bottom, canning lids or crinkled aluminum foil or a steamer basket would work. Instead of canning jars use 4 clean, 15 oz cans.
• Optional Baking Directions:
• Spoon batter into a greased bread loaf pan. Bake at 325 degrees for one hour.