Dutch Oven Brown Bread

Prepare three food cans with a 20-ounce volume or four food cans with a 16-ounce volume. Remove the labels and make sure that the open tops are free of jagged and dangerous edges. Clean the cans and lightly oil the insides.

In a bowl, mix together the buttermilk and molasses. In a second bowl, mix together the raisins, walnuts, whole wheat and rye flours, cornmeal, baking soda, and salt.

Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Add only one quarter of the dry ingredients at a time and make sure that they are fully incorporated before adding additional dry ingredients. This technique helps avoid lumps in the batter and is valuable for all baking recipes at the point where the dry and wet ingredients are brought together.

Divide the batter among the food cans. Cover the tops of the cans lightly with aluminum foil, and put them into a Dutch oven or stockpot, or any other pot that is deep enough to hold them. Pour boiling water into the Dutch oven until it comes up about 2 inches on the outside of the cans.

Cover the Dutch oven, place it over low heat, and keep the water inside at a simmer for 3 hours. As the water level in the Dutch oven begins to drop, add more water.

To remove the bread from the can, cut out the bottom of the can and push out the bread through the other open end. Allow them to cool on a rack.