Boston Brown Bread Sandwich

An assembly rather than a cooked dish, and it stands or falls on the bread: dense, dark, molasses-sweet Boston brown bread against sharp, salty cheese.

• The breadBoston brown bread is a steamed loaf of rye, cornmeal and wheat sweetened with molasses, traditionally leavened with baking soda rather than yeast. Ready-steamed brown bread was also sold in cans, sliced into rounds; the canned product is still sold, and any steamed brown bread works.
• Slicing it cleanlySteamed brown bread is moist and crumbles under a serrated knife used with pressure. Chill the loaf first and cut with a thin, sharp blade in a single drawing motion, about 3/8 inch thick, or use a length of thread pulled around the loaf.
• Pimiento cheeseThe recipe leaves this to the cook; such a spread was typically grated cheese, often a firm yellow cheddar or a processed cheese, worked smooth with mayonnaise or softened butter and chopped canned pimientos. Commercial tubs work; a homemade spread on the stiff side holds up better against damp bread.
• AssemblySpread the cheese on the slice; the recipe names a single slice, so an open-faced sandwich is the plain reading, though a second slice can be added. Cut into quarters.
• The accompanimentsThe recipe has the sweet pickle and currant jelly served with the sandwich rather than spread on it, so put them alongside in small dishes; the pickle and jelly play against the fat of the cheese and the molasses in the bread.
• Yield and keepingThe recipe gives no quantities; a small round loaf will yield several sandwiches. If made ahead, wrap tightly and keep cold; the cheese spread and the moist bread both suffer at outdoor temperatures.