Discover Boston’s Most Loved Baked Bean Recipe

Discover Boston’s Most Loved Baked Bean Recipe

Have you ever wondered why Boston is called Beantown? It is because beans that are slow-baked in molasses have been a favorite Boston dish since colonial days. Currently, this specialty dish continues to be one of New England’s most-love dishes. It’s wonderfully old-fashioned, yet healthy and easy. Here’s how you can make your own:

You will need the following:

2 cups navy beans
1/2 pound bacon
1 onion, finely diced
3 tbsps molasses
2 tsps salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp of dry yellow mustard
1/2 c ketchup
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 c brown sugar

Directions for cooking:

Wash beans and soak them cold tap water overnight. Using the same water the next morning, bring to a boil atop the stove. Simmer until beans turn tender. This would take approximately one to two hours. When beans turn tender, drain and reserve the liquid.

Note: They won’t be perfectly soft, but they will be almost soft.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Arrange the semi-cooked beans inside a 2 quart casserole dish or bean pot by starting with placing beans at the bottom of dish, then layering them with onion and bacon.

Using a saucepan, combine together salt, molasses, pepper, dry yellow mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil and pour over beans. Get the reserved bean water; pour in just enough to cover up the beans. Use the lid of your dish or you can also use aluminum foil. Bake for 3 to 4 hours in your preheated oven, until beans become tender.

Remove the lid about halfway through cooking. You can add more liquid if necessary to prevent the beans from getting too dry. This dish serves 6. Baked beans would taste extra delicious when served with Brownbread. Here’s a trouble-free Brownbread recipe that would complete your meal.

You will need:

1 c sifted rye flour
1 tsp of baking powder
1 tsp soda
1 tsp kosher salt
1 c cornmeal
1 c whole wheat flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
2 c buttermilk
1 c raisins
3/4 c dark molasses

Sift together flour, baking powder, soda, and salt; stir in cornmeal, whole wheat flour, cinnamon, and allspice. Add buttermilk, raisins, and dark molasses; beat well. Divide the batter among 4 greased and floured 16-ounce fruit or vegetable cans (make sure the labels have been removed). Cover tightly with aluminum foil.

Place the cans on a rack inside a deep kettle. Add boiling water, around 1 inch in depth(cans should not be resting in water). Cover and steam for 3 hours, adding more boiling water along the way as needed.

You will know that bread is done when it has risen almost to fill the can and it’s center has puffed slightly. (If center remains indented, steam for 15 minutes or so more).
Cool the bread for ten minutes. Remove bread from the can – this is best done by removing bottom of can and pushing bread out of can. Wrap and store overnight. Makes 4