More From Memere's Kitchen

I promised Memere's brown bread recipe and I always try to keep my promises. Tomorrow I'll toast up a few slices of yummy steam-baked molasses loaf for breakfast with scrambled eggs.

Add a pot of butter rum flavored decaf made in the French press to sip on while reading the newspaper at the table and Sunday morning doesn't get much better! And I'll be saving the coffee can for the next time I mix up this brown bread recipe -- I have a feeling it won't be long.

MEMERE'S MOLASSES LOAF
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, sifted before measuring
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup unsulphured molasses
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 tablespoon melted butter or margarine
1/2 cup raisins, optional

In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, soda, and salt. Add oats and cornmeal. Set aside 2 tablespoons of the dry mixture into a small mixing bowl. Stir molasses, butter, vinegar and milk into the dry ingredients. Mix raisins with the 2 tablespoons of dry mixture to coat raisins, add coated raisins to the batter and blend well. Turn batter into a well greased coffee can, filling about 2/3 full. Cover with foil.

Place covered can in a round soufflé pan or other oven safe baker with three inch or higher sides and pour boiling water into the soufflé/baker to approximately 1/3 the height of can. Steam-bake the bread at 350 degrees F for approximately one hour, makes one large loaf. If you have no can, don’t stress --- use a medium loaf pan and set into a square baker using the same steam-bake method. Bake for 45-50 minutes instead of an hour. This loaf does raise less than egg batter loaves and has a denser consistency. Tastes best when toasted or warmed in oven or microwave.