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.

Vegan Boston Brown Bread w/ Rum-soaked Currants
Ingredients
- 1 cup rye flour
- 1¼ cup unbleached flour
- ¼ cup rolled oats
- ⅓ cup corn meal
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- 1½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup currants
- ½ cup rum
- 2 cups soy milk
- ⅓ cup molasses
Instructions
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In a small bowl, soak currants in the rum. Let them soak while you do the next two steps.
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In a large bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the soy milk and molasses.
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In another large bowl, stir rye flour, unbleached flour, rolled oats, corn meal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
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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).
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Combine the flour mixture, soy milk mixture and currants (and one tablespoon of the ru- stir gently until "just mixed".
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Pour batch into a well-greased baking pan.
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Bake at 300 degrees for an hour and 15 minutes.
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Let cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan. Place on a rack to continue cooling.