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Steamed Graham Bread
3 cups Arlington meal 1 cup flour 3 1/2 teaspoons soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup molasses (scant) 2 1/2 cups sour milk Mix same as Boston Brown Bread and steam four hours. This bread may often be eaten when bread containing corn meal could not be digested.
A New England steamed brown bread made without cornmeal, so the whole grain is wheat rather than the usual rye-and-Indian mix. The method is entirely in the steaming: a covered mold, gentle heat, and water kept at a steady simmer for the whole time.
- Arlington mealA graham-type (whole wheat) meal called for by name in cookbooks of the period; it appears to have been a proprietary product, though little is firmly recorded about it. Use graham flour, or whole wheat flour with a couple of tablespoons of wheat bran added per cup.
- Sour milkCultured buttermilk is the direct substitute. Fresh milk soured with a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice per cup also works, though it is thinner and the crumb will be slightly less tender.
- The soda is highThree and a half teaspoons against 2 1/2 cups sour milk and a scant cup of molasses is more than the acid can fully neutralize by modern reckoning. Period recipes routinely call for more soda than we would; differences in the leavening and the molasses then sold may account for some of it. Around 2 to 2 1/2 teaspoons gives a good rise without the soapy, faintly metallic edge.
- MolassesUse unsulphured dark molasses, not blackstrap, which is bitter and will dominate. "Scant" means just under a level cup.
- Mold and fillGrease a 2 1/2 to 3 quart pudding mold, or divide between two or three well-buttered 1 lb coffee tins, and fill only two-thirds full. Cover tightly with a lid or buttered foil tied down, or the batter climbs out and the top waterlogs.
- Steaming setupStand the mold on a rack in a deep kettle, pour in boiling water to come halfway up the sides, cover, and hold at a bare simmer. Top up with boiling water as it evaporates; letting the pot run dry is the one failure that cannot be repaired.
- TimeFour hours suits a single large mold. Two 1 lb tins are done in about 2 1/2 to 3 hours, when a skewer comes out clean. Uncover and dry the loaf in a 350F oven for 10 minutes before turning out.
- Yield and servingRoughly two small loaves, 12 to 16 slices. Cut warm with a strong thread or serrated knife rather than pressing down with a blade, and serve with butter, baked beans, or cream cheese.