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1
Grease the inside of a 1-litre tin can, pudding mould, or any tall, narrow, oven-safe container thoroughly with butter or neutral fat. If using a tin can, grease the interior all the way to the rim. Cut a circle of parchment to fit the base and press it in. The dense batter sticks tenaciously to any ungreased surface; the mould is ready when a finger dragged along the interior wall meets no resistance.
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2
Combine the rye flour, cornmeal, and whole wheat flour in equal parts in a large bowl. Add the baking soda and salt. Whisk until the dry ingredients are uniformly distributed — no streaks of any single flour remain visible.
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3
Whisk the molasses into the buttermilk until fully incorporated. The mixture will be dark and uniform in colour with no pale streaks of buttermilk remaining.
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4
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until a thick, uniform batter forms. Fold in the raisins. The batter is considerably thicker than a cake batter but still pourable — it falls from the spoon in heavy ribbons rather than drops.
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5
Pour the batter into the prepared mould, filling it no more than two-thirds full. Cover the top tightly with a double layer of aluminium foil, pressing and crimping the edges to seal. No steam must escape during cooking. This is where the bread lives or dies: a loose or lifted cover allows steam to dissipate, the bread cooks unevenly, and the uniformly moist, crustless interior — the defining character of the bread — is lost.
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6
Set a rack in the bottom of a deep pot large enough to hold the mould upright. Place the mould on the rack. Add enough hot water to reach 5–7 cm up the side of the mould. Bring the water to a simmer over medium heat, cover the pot, and steam for 2 to 3 hours, checking the water level every 30 minutes and replenishing with hot water as needed. The bread is done when a skewer inserted through the foil and into the centre comes out clean and the bread has pulled slightly from the sides of the mould.
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7
Remove the mould from the pot and allow it to rest, still covered, for 10 minutes. Remove the foil, run a thin knife around the edge, and unmould onto a rack. The bread should release cleanly and hold its cylindrical shape. The exterior will be uniformly dark brown, moist, and without any crust. Slice into rounds to serve.