East Coast Brown Bread
Founder / Chef / Everyone’s Best Friend
Andy Hay
Welcome to my kitchen. I hope to inspire you to grow as a home cook!
This East Coast Brown Bread really pulls at my heartstrings. My mother is from Newfoundland and comes from a long line of amazing bread bakers. The Blackwoods, my Nan’s side of the family, were outstanding cooks and bakers, and this recipe really connects me with that side of the family.
It would warm my heart so much for you to make this for someone you love. A freshly baked loaf of brown bread is like a warm hug from the soul!
Ingredients:
- 2 tsp dry active yeast
- 1 tbs packed brown sugar
- 1 cup plus 5 tbs warm water
- 3 cups AP flour You may need a tbs or 2 extra if too wet
- 3 tbs molasses
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbs oil any oil works
- 2 tbs melted butter or margarine for brushing
Instructions:
- This recipes makes 9 dinner rolls or one loaf of bread!
- In a bowl add yeast, brown sugar, and warm water. Mix together and set off the side for 10 minutes. Yeast should begin to wake up and froth.
- In a separate bowl add flour, molasses, salt, and oil. Once yeast mixture is nice and frothy, pour into flour mixture and mix together until a shaggy dough forms. Once dough is shaggy, pour onto lightly floured work surface and knead the dough for around 10 minutes or until the surface of the dough is nice and smooth. If you have a stand mixture with a dough hook ,you toss it in there and let the mixer do the work.
- After the dough is smooth, cut in half and form two nicely formed dough balls. (Or 9 smaller dough balls if making dinner rolls). Place dough balls into parchment lined loaf tin if making bread, or 8×8 inch brownie pan for dinner rolls. Cover with a tea towel and let the dough rest and rise until it has doubled in size. Around 90 minutes. Don't rush this process as this is what gives light, airy dough.
- Once dough has doubled in size, preheat the oven to 375F and brush the dough with melted butter or margarine. Place loaf pan into oven for 30-35 minutes or until the crush is deep golden brown.
- Once cooked, remove from oven and immediately brush on more butter. Pause here and enjoy the smell. Doesn't get better than that.
- Allow the loaf too cool in the loaf tin for 10 minutes before removing. Grab a bread knife, cut your self a thick slice and slather with butter. Pour a cup of tea, and really enjoy this moment. This is happiness to me.
If you’ve lived in Nova Scotia, there is a chance you’ve come across one of the many versions of this brown bread before! While the ingredients have stayed the same for decades, the amounts of each of them are varied from family to family. This is the reason it is a classic in the maritime.
We have baked our fair share of bread here at the East Coast Kitchen, and this recipe is no more complicated than my master dough recipe, which we’ve used for bagels, pretzels, and pizza dough, with a few substitutions and additions to the ingredients!
The beautiful brown colour comes from using brown sugar instead of white sugar and the addition of molasses. Molasses is such an incredible ingredient and gives that loaf of bread a lovely, deep flavour.
Tips for Nailing this Recipe
- When making bread or dinner rolls, we must form the dough and then let it rise in the loaf pan or any other vessel you will bake them in. This is different from our master dough recipe, where we allow the rise to happen in a bowl, and then we form it.
- Butter or margarine is your friend. Before baking, brush some melted butter or margarine on top of the rolls or loaf. This gives a beautiful colour to the crust. I also like to brush some melted butter immediately after I remove the loaf from the oven; it gives a beautiful shine to the crust!
- This is an important step in all bread-making. Give the bread a moment to cool before cutting. If you cut the bread while it’s still hot, you will lose moisture. Try to be patient!
Other recipes to check out!
No Knead Double Chocolate Bread
Andy Hay
Andy is the founder of ECK, Chef, and let’s admit it… the reason you’re here. He taught himself to cook, and it all paid off when he secured his spot in the season 5 Finale of Master Chef Canada. Now, Andy uses his big energy to showcase recipes that actually make people want to cook. His brand was built on butter and East Coast charm, and Andy’s kept that same energy ever since. Off-camera, you’ll find him doing what started it all: cooking for his two daughters, wife and the people he loves.
Similar recipes
Rate & leave a comment
72 Comments
— End of comments —
— No more comments to load —
What size is your loaf pan?
I used a 9x 5 for this one, Jules but 8.5 x 4.5 would work fine!
I have successfully made these rolls a few times and what a treat!! My Grammie would serve with baked beans but I love them as a snack with butter. Thank you for a great brown bread recipe!
Love this! And the brown beans sound like the perfect accompaniment to this recipe, Catherine.
I’m curious as to why the recipe only calls for one rise,I’ve made dozens of yeast breads over the years and this is the first time I’ve seen that called for in a recipe!
Hi Mathew! This dough is shaped before its rise, so that single rise acts as the final proof. It’s a simpler method that still gives a light, fluffy loaf. A second rise isn’t necessary for this recipe, but if you’re used to a traditional two-rise method, that works too.
This is the recipe I come back to every time for traditional maritime brown bread! The loaf turns out amazing every time! It’s light and airy and flavour is spot on!
Thanks Michelle! So glad you like this one!
We made this bread today in my stand mixer (doubled the recipe). It needed about an extra 3/4 cup of flour because it was very sticky – maybe I was heavy handed on the wet ingredients.. It turned out amazing – moist, nice tight crumb, and great flavour!
Glad it was a hit, Heather!