Baked Beans
This baked bean recipe uses diced bacon, brown sugar and molasses to make a sweet, smoky pot of beans from scratch. The bacon fat and onions flavor the beans as they slowly soften in the oven, and the molasses gives the sauce a dark, sticky depth. Navy beans are the classic choice, but black, kidney or lima beans also work. It feeds eight and suits a cookout or potluck.
Instructions
Soak the dry beans in water overnight. If you prefer, skip the soaking and use 4 cans of cooked beans instead.
Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Choose a casserole dish, bean pot or Dutch oven large enough to hold everything with some room to spare.
Stir the beans, diced bacon, chopped onions, brown sugar and molasses together in the pot until evenly mixed.
Add liquid until the beans are barely covered. The soaking water works, but stock or fresh water is better. Canned beans need less liquid, and dry beans will keep absorbing water as they cook.
Cover and bake for 2½ hours. Check after the first hour and add a little more water if the beans look dry.
If the beans are too wet at the end, take off the lid and bake a bit longer so the liquid thickens. For a slow cooker, cook 2½ hours on High or 5 hours on Low.
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