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The Homemade Baked Beans Saga



It looks good, right?

Ha! This is why I asked what dry bean you use to make baked beans.

Oh boy, let me tell you, it was not.  I tried a new homemade baked bean recipe the other day.

I followed it to a "t".  I soaked navy beans over night.  I boiled them and simmered them for an hour.  Baked them for 2 with the lid on, and baked 40 minutes after that with the lids off.

The beans were still crunchy.  Seriously.  We baked them for another hour.  Still the same.

What in the heck am I doing wrong?! Do you use dry beans or canned beans?

I want to use pinto beans and try the same recipe, but my husband had another opinion.

I grew up with canned baked beans that were doctored up.  I just want to accomplish a homemade baked bean dish that is fantastic. 

Any suggestions?  I am going to try this recipe with new dry pinto beans.  I told my husband they were probably just older than I thought.  Everything I researched said they are either old or a storage issue.  I guess, unless I get suggestions, I'll try new dried beans.

I have cooked dry pinto beans a ba-zillion times and they have always cooked, but for some reason dry navy beans do not cook for me.

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Comments

Unknown said…
Good morning!
Your beans are old! Fresh navy beans will cook in under an hour once soaked. My husband and I grow black beans on our farm. Same thing, every year we keep a 5 gallon pail of beans and they cook up quick. I got some fresh navy beans from a farmer friend and they were cooked in 40 minutes.You never know how old grocery store beans are. They have an expiration date but not a harvest date. Please, please, soak your beans and cook your beans in salt water! Do no believe anything you read about them getting tough! Follow the advice from American Test kitchen about brining your beans. It’s game changing. The salt flavours the beans making them yummy and creamier. That’s why canned beans are so good! Hope this helps!
Josepha
July 8, 2021 at 7:58 AM
Pioneer Woman at Heart said…
Josepha, thanks, I figured they were just old.
July 8, 2021 at 9:01 AM
JustGail said…
IIRC, I've read adding baking soda to the soak & simmer water will help soften beans. And no acid like tomato should be added until after the beans are cooked. I haven't cooked dry beans in a long time just because they take so long, I'm hoping the new fangled pressure cooker thing will change that. I wonder how old that bag of beans in the pantry is anyway....
July 8, 2021 at 11:50 AM
Lisa K Thomasson Jung said…
I alwYs do the doctored can beans for baked beans. But cook dried beans lots. Look like you have your answer.
July 8, 2021 at 12:34 PM
Mother Em said…
I've stopped with the overnight soak, morning soak, bake, bake, bake - so, now I use the Instant Pot. I've looked up the recipes, but manually set for 45-50 minutes and voila. Be sure to use exact liquid, as those on top do tend to be crunchy, but no problem, will just stovetop a bit longer the next day or so. I've used Great Northern, Navy, Pinto, Cranberry, Lentils, Kidney, Black, etc. If you don't have the Pot, you really need to add to your collection - such a time saver.

Good luck in your future bean venture.
July 8, 2021 at 3:07 PM
W. said…
https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/soaking-salting-dried-bean-myths-article

I thought this article on dried bean myths was interesting. They cooked a lot of beans to test all of the ideas about cooking dry beans.
July 8, 2021 at 4:07 PM
Nancy In Boise said…
Yes, had the same thing at one point, old beans...
July 8, 2021 at 8:24 PM
Henny Penny said…
You're right, they look delicious. I didn't know old beans would not cook tender. I've had that problem too. I had not cooked a good pot of dried beans in 30 years and decided to give up trying but read that if you have hard water, use bottled water to cook dried beans. I don't know if our well water is hard or not but I've cooked two pots of dried beans lately using bottled water and they were delicious.
July 8, 2021 at 9:15 PM
Pioneer Woman at Heart said…
JustGail, thanks for the tip on the baking soda. I think I did that years ago with pinto beans, but can't remember. I'll give it a try.
July 9, 2021 at 6:54 AM
Pioneer Woman at Heart said…
Mother Em, I do not have an instant pot. I will have to look into that.
July 9, 2021 at 6:55 AM
Pioneer Woman at Heart said…
Thank you W, will read that article too.
July 9, 2021 at 6:56 AM
Pioneer Woman at Heart said…
Henny Penny, we do have well water, so I will try bottled water too. Thanks.
July 9, 2021 at 6:57 AM
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