Baked beans were prepared and cooked on baking day, which was usually a Saturday.  The pot of beans would be put into the beehive oven (built into the wall) and left in overnight. Long, slow cooking of the beans is essential for good flavor. First soaked overnight, and then combined with molasses, dry mustard, onion, and salt pork, the baked beans would provide the family with a warm meal on Sunday morning. Only the most necessary food preparation was allowed on Sunday, the “Sabbath”, in colonial New England, so beans warm from the oven on this day would have been welcome.