From 1922:
A steamed brown bread is the most suitable accompaniment to the baked or stewed bean meal, and is food which is inexpensive when made at home, but is expensive to purchase ready-made.
For the steaming, a covered utensil is preferable. This may be one of the regulation steamers made for the purpose, or water tight baking powder cans with covers. If the container has no cover, an oiled paper should be tied over the top.
For the steaming, a steamer placed over boiling water with a rack on the bottom may be substituted. The rack is necessary to keep the mold containing the bread up from the bottom of the kettle to permit a circulation of the water under the mold.
In this case the boiling water in the kettle should come halfway to the top of the molds, which should never be more than two-thirds full. As the water evaporates, more boiling water should be added. Be sure the water is boiling to keep from cooling off the steaming mixture, which would cause it to become soggy.