Old Fashioned French Canadian Baked Beans - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 - 1 1/2 lb navy beans (2 1/2 to 3 cups measure)
bay leaf
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup ketchup
1 medium onion, diced
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard (Keen's brand is what I use)
2 -3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
4 slices bacon (optional)
reserved bean liquid

Preparation

Cover beans with water and soak overnight.
Rinse beans then bring to a boil in approximately 1 quart of water, bay leaf and garlic - simmer for 30 minutes.
Turn off heat and let beans stand for approximately 1 1/2 hours until soft. Drain and reserve the bean liquid. Discard bay leaf and garlic.
Mix together remaining ingredients (excluding beans and bacon).
Add beans to bean pot (or any covered dish).
Stir in molasses mixture to beans. Top off with some of the reserved bean liquid.
Arrange bacon on top.
Cover and bake at 300 degrees for 7 hours. For the final hour of cooking, remove cover to let bean brown up nicely.
Note: check occasionally and keep beans covered with reserved bean liquid during cooking.