In January 1919, Boston experienced a unique disaster.
A wave of molasses, a popular sweetener of the era and a key ingredient in Boston’s renowned brown bread, surged through the city’s North End.
This event, known as the Great Boston Molasses Flood, intertwined the histories of molasses and the iconic Boston brown bread.
The quest for the quintessential brown bread recipe is a contentious one.
Every Bostonian believes their version is the definitive one.
Historical cookbooks from the past 130 years reveal that each author subtly critiqued others’ brown bread recipes.
To navigate this culinary minefield, the video turns to the revered Boston recipe collection, Fannie Farmer’s 1896 ‘The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book’.
Fannie Farmer’s recipe is straightforward.
It calls for rye meal, graham flour (a coarse wheat flour named after Sylvester Graham, the mind behind the graham cracker), cornmeal, baking soda, salt, molasses, and buttermilk.
While Farmer preferred her bread plain, many added walnuts, raisins, or currants for an extra touch.
The preparation is simple.
After sifting and mixing the dry ingredients, molasses and buttermilk are added.
The baking soda reacts with the buttermilk, creating bubbles that give the bread its rise.
This batter is then poured into buttered cans, traditionally coffee cans or similar containers, filling them two-thirds of the way.
The cans are sealed, either with their lids or aluminum foil and placed in boiling water to steam.
The bread steams for about three and a half hours.
Once done, it’s cooled, removed from the can, sliced, and typically served with salted butter.
The historical significance of molasses in Boston is profound.
In 1919, molasses was primarily used in munitions factories, as distilling it produced ethanol, a component in both rum and explosives.
The Purity Distilling Company built a massive tank in Boston’s North End to store molasses.
However, due to poor construction and a rapid temperature rise, the tank burst, releasing a 15-foot-high wave of molasses that devastated the area.
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This tragedy, which claimed 21 lives and injured 150, resulted in a six-month cleanup.
The molasses flood left an indelible mark on Boston, with the North End smelling of molasses for decades.
The disaster led to stricter building regulations and zoning laws, ensuring such a catastrophe wouldn’t happen again.
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Interestingly, newspapers reporting on the molasses flood also covered another impending disaster: the ratification of the 18th Amendment.
This amendment initiated the Prohibition era.
With rum production halted and fewer munitions needed post-WWI, molasses found its primary use in making Boston brown bread.
The allure of Boston brown bread lies not just in its taste but also in its rich history.
Whether you choose to buy it in a can or make it using Fannie Farmer’s recipe, this bread is proof of Boston’s resilience and culinary heritage.
As you savor each bite, you’re not just enjoying a delicious treat; you’re partaking in a slice of history.
Learn more fascinating history surrounding Boston Brown Bread and how to make it below!
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