Why it works: Molasses and ginger are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,116 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Ginger-bread
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the dough
In a bowl, combine molasses, melted lard, ground ginger, and coarse sea salt.
Dissolve the powdered alum in half of the boiling water and the baking soda in the other half.
Add both mixtures to the molasses mixture.
Stir in enough flour to form a soft dough that can be kneaded.
Shape and bake
Roll the dough to about ½ inch thick and cut into oblong shapes.
Bake in a moderately hot oven at 400°F (200°C) until done.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
-
Molasses + gingertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,116 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Ginger + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,564 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Molasses + flourtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,429 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Molasses
- Provides sweetness, dark color and moisture to the dough.
- Melted lard
- Adds fat, giving the gingerbread a tender texture and moistness.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic molasses to produce gas, helping the bread rise and brown.
- Powdered alum
- Reacts with the baking soda to add lift and give a firmer, crisper texture.
- Ground ginger
- Supplies the main aroma and warm spice flavor.
The step that matters
Dissolving the alum and baking soda in the boiling water. Baking soda and alum release gas when they react, so they must be fully dissolved and mixed in promptly to give even leavening. Undissolved pockets can cause uneven rising and dense or patchy spots.
Swap the ginger
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (molasses, flour):
- Jalapenofits better
- Cinnamonfits better
- Allspicefits about as well
- Gingerthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against molasses, flour. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
More ginger bread recipes
You might also like
Cornbread345 recipes
Bread Pudding336 recipes
Milk Bread Rolls242 recipes
Potato Bread124 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.