Why it works: Malt and flour work together. They rank in the top 24% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 260 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Chemistry Op Wheat, Flour, and Bread
Ingredients
Directions
Soak the malt in a tub for 4 hours, then wring or squeeze it by hand, keeping the last drops.
Strain the liquid through a sieve with 6 holes per inch and add 2 gallons of hot water at 130°F (53°C).
Mix in flour until the consistency resembles dough for morning rolls.
Place the tub near a boiler to draw water at 220°F (104°C).
Stir continuously with a hard wooden stick, 1.5 inches in diameter and 4 feet long, alternating with another person every 3 gallons.
Stir at a speed of 120 to 130 strokes per minute for 50 to 60 seconds until the mixture thickens and turns a rich yellow hue.
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.
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.
-
Malt + flourtop 24% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together260 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
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.