Place all the dry ingredients in your electric mixing bowl and mix well. Add the liquid ingredients and blend well.
Grease three 16-ounce wide-mouth canning jars. Divide the batter evenly between the three jars; they will be about 2/3 full to allow for expansion of the batter. Cover each with wax paper and then aluminum foil. Tie each with a bit of string so that the foil is sealed.
Place a cake rack in the bottom of a large stock pot and place the cans on the rack. Add enough boiling water to come up the side of the cans.
Cover the pot and bring it to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer the cans for about 2-½ hours. Check the water level now and then as you may need to add more water.
Remove the jars from the stock pot and allow to cool 10 minutes on a cooling rack. Remove the aluminum foil cover, run a butter knife all around the inside of the jars, invert and shake out gently onto the cooling rack.
Slice with a knife and serve hot topped with butter. Add a side of Boston Baked Beans and Hot Dogs or Sausages for a complete meal.
Notes
Substitute 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1 cup rye flour in place of the 2 cups of whole wheat flour.