Teff Boston Brown Bread {vegan, gluten-free}

Super-nutritious & delicious Boston Brown Bread minis, made with whole teff grain and chickpea flour! They are gluten-free, vegan, and packed with flavor.

With apologies to the fair citizens of Boston, this (wicked good) interpretation of Boston Brown Bread is a far cry from the original.

But only so far as the ingredients are concerned.

As for taste? Boston brown bread all the way.

So, here is  the (brief) story. Growing up, my mother was an avid co-op shopper, vegetable gardener, and home cook; she rarely bought any kind of ready-made foods. One exception was Boston brown bread.

Have you had it? Traditional recipes feature cornmeal, rye flour and molasses and the batter is baked in old-fashioned coffee cans (the latter of which deliver its unique shape and steam-baked texture).

It is moist, dense, brown sugar-y, without being too sweet. It is also immensely satisfying; I was crazy for it. My mother did not buy it often (when she did, it was always B & M brand), but on those lucky occasions when it showed up in the grocery bags,  I always attempted to get more than my fair share.

So, experimental baker that I am, I made a Boston brown bread in a newfangled way.

 

I used whole grain teff (the tiniest grain) plus chickpea flour.  I know, it sounds crazy, but in fact adds a corn-like background flavor along with a generous plant-based protein boost. The molasses remains, as as do the raisins (if you are a raisin hater, you can leave them out; I think we can still be friends).

Oh heavens, are these ever yummy. You may not see them “down the Cape” anytime soon (except, perhaps here, here, or maybe here), but I hope you’ll see them in your kitchen and snack bags soon.

Happy baking and eating!