1. Rinse turkey inside and out with cold water. Dry thoroughly with paper towels. Sprinkle cavity with salt and pepper. Stuff loosely (with about cup of stuffing per pound of turkey) and close the opening with metal skewers. (Place the leftover stuffing in a buttered souffle dish and bake it alongside the turkey for the last hour of cooking time.)

2. Tie the legs together and place turkey on a V-shaped rack in a large but shallow roasting pan.

3. Mix the molasses and soy sauce in a small bowl. With a pastry brush, paint turkey with the mixture, lifting it up to reach the underside. This method makes the bird dark, very quickly, so loosely tent the turkey with aluminum foil.

4. Place turkey in the center of the preheated 325 degree F oven and roast, basting occasionally with accumulated pan juices, until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 180 degrees F and juices run clear (about 4 to 4-1/4 hours).

5. Transfer the turkey to a platter or carving board and let rest for 20 minutes before carving.