Steamed Black Bread Recipes

Steps:

• In a small bowl, dissolve coffee in 1/4 cup warm water. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine remaining 1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons warm water and molasses. Sprinkle yeast over top, stir, and let stand 5 minutes.
• Add honey, flours, cocoa, and salt to yeast mixture. Attach bowl to stand mixer fitted the dough-hook attachment and beat on low speed 1 minute. Increase speed to medium-low and beat until dough is smooth and slightly tacky, about 3 minutes (or knead by hand 15 to 20 minutes).
• Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface; knead by hand, turning dough over, 4 to 5 times before shaping into a ball. Transfer dough, smooth-side up, to a lightly oiled large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap; let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide in half. Set one half aside, loosely covered with lightly oiled plastic wrap. Shape remaining half into a 9-inch rectangle, with a short side parallel to work surface. Fold top third of dough towards center, then fold bottom third of dough on top, pressing gently to seal. Turn dough 90 degrees and repeat folding process, pinching seam and sides closed. Place seam-side down and roll dough back and forth with palms of hands to form a loaf about 12 inches long with tapered ends. Repeat shaping process with remaining half of dough. Sprinkle a clean cotton cloth with cornmeal and place loaves on top, spacing about 6 inches apart. Loosely cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel. Let rise in a warm place 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees, with a pizza stone on rack in lower third and a skillet or baking pan on lowest rack, 30 minutes. Transfer loaves to a pizza peel or unrimmed baking sheet dusted with cornmeal. Brush tops with egg white. Using a lame (baker?s blade), razor blade, or serrated knife, make four diagonal cuts, 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep, across each loaf. Slide loaves from peel onto stone. If not using a stone, slide loaves onto a parchment-lined baking sheet dusted with cornmeal. Quickly pour boiling water into preheated skillet to create steam. Bake until loaves are dark brown and hollow-sounding when tapped on bottoms, about 30 to 40 minutes. Transfer loaves to a wire rack; let cool completely.

Steps:

• Use a canning kettle, and invert the wire rack. Fill with water to just below the wire rack. Bring to a boil on top of the stove.
• In a large bowl, mix together molasses, oil, milk, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Stir in white and graham flour. Divide batter into two 1 pound coffee cans. Place a double thickness of aluminum foil over top, and secure with rubber bands.
• Keep water at a slow boil, and steam for one hour.

Steps:

• You will need 2 empty cans such as the ones in which fruit or tomato sauce come. Or you can use a mold.
• To prepare them, grease and flour generously.
• Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
• Add buttermilk and molasses while mixing on low.
• Stir in raisins and mix only enough to distribute.
• Pour into prepared cans or mold. (Should be about 2/3 full).
• Cover with foil and secure with string.
• Place cans on a wire rack in the bottom of a large pot.
• Pour boiling water into the pot to reach about half way up the cans but not enough to float them.
• Put lid on pot and steam for 3 hours, checking water occasionally to make sure there is enough.
• To remove breads from cans, the bottoms of the cans can be "opened" with a can opener and the breads can then be pushed out. They come out more easily when the bread is still warm.