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Steamed Breads

post #1 of 8
6/28/09 at 12:36pm
Thread Starter 
I’ve been reading Peter Reinhart’s Whole Grain Bread book and was intrigued with his Steamed Boston Brown Bread. The dough is poured into coffee cans, then is cooked on the stove top in a large stock pot partially filled with water making a perfectly round loaf of bread leavened with baking powder and baking soda.

I’ve never heard of this method before but after a few searches online it looks like it's a common technique.


I’m wondering if any sweet bread that is leavened with baking soda and baking powder could be cooked like this (Pumpkin bread for example). Any thoughts on this technique?

Thanks,
 Emily
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post #2 of 8
6/28/09 at 1:16pm
>>common
oh dear, yes indeed. been around for ages and ages. once upon a time you could buy Boston Brown Bread in a can in the market . . .

it's best suited to 'heavy' / dense / moist dough. shortbread is not a good candidate <g>
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post #3 of 8
6/30/09 at 5:32pm
You can also just bake instead of steaming. Clay flower pots work also.
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post #4 of 8
6/30/09 at 7:44pm
Thread Starter 
I guess it shows my age that these concepts are new to me. Thanks, it's something I'll have to experiment with. :)
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post #5 of 8
7/1/09 at 2:19pm
Emily, the pressure cooker you are getting is ideal for steamed breads. I have done this many times. Recipes abound. It's fun and easy, and especially nice with the PC because you don't steam up the whole kitchen in the process. Perhaps I should open a discussion on this topic in the Pressure Cooker Social Group? I love Boston Brown Bread! :lips:
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post #6 of 8
8/6/10 at 12:44pm

I steam my bread in a crockpot

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post #7 of 8
8/6/10 at 2:06pm

Most all the  prepackaged white bread you buy at supermarket is steamed. It yields in most cases a more tender uniform product.  A lot of commercial bakery ovens have damper controls that allow for injection of moisture into the baking process.

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post #8 of 8
8/6/10 at 2:13pm

Most prepackaged white bread is made using mechanical leavening, Ed, a process not available at home. So the method of cooking is all but irrelevant.

 

Steam injection on commercial ovens is done for specific effects on standard yeast breads. The effects can be mimicked at home with spray bottles and water trays. But neither is the same as making steamed bread, such as Boston Brown Bread, which are actually cooked on the range, while standing in water.

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