Boston Brown Bread w/ Rum-soaked Currants

Charting new territory… my first vegan bread recipe posting! Note: After soaking the currants, if you let a tablespoon of the rum accidentally fall into the batch (and accidentally drink the rest), you’ll agree that the rum adds a nice touch.

This recipe was shared with me by a woman named Sheila who worked in the kitchen at Esalen near Big Sur, California in 2008. I was there for a Joseph Campbell Foundation workshop. Words can’t capture the beauty of that place, so here’s two pictures (worth roughly 2,000 words):

This bread is awesome served warm and buttered with a helping of good music, your best friend or lover, and preferably, a waterfront view.

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Vegan Boston Brown Bread w/ Rum-soaked Currants

I know... the title is a bit pretentious for a brown bread. But, after soaking the currants, if you let a tablespoon of the rum accidentally fall into the batch (and accidentally drink the rest), you'll agree that the rum adds a nice touch. This recipe was shared with me by a woman named Sheila who worked in the kitchen at Esalen near Big Sur, California in 2008. I added the rum because I am evidently a lush.
Prep Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings 1 loaf
Author Mark Oppenneer

Ingredients

  • 1 cup rye flour
  • cup unbleached flour
  • ¼ cup rolled oats
  • cup corn meal
  • ¾ tsp baking powder
  • tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ cup currants
  • ½ cup rum
  • 2 cups soy milk
  • cup molasses

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl, soak currants in the rum. Let them soak while you do the next two steps.
  2. In a large bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the soy milk and molasses.
  3. In another large bowl, stir rye flour, unbleached flour, rolled oats, corn meal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  4. Strain the rum from the currants into a small glass for sipping (my mom used to say that it was only proper to make sure the ingredients were fit for consumption).
  5. Combine the flour mixture, soy milk mixture and currants (and one tablespoon of the ru- stir gently until "just mixed".
  6. Pour batch into a well-greased baking pan.
  7. Bake at 300 degrees for an hour and 15 minutes.
  8. Let cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan. Place on a rack to continue cooling.

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