Why it works: Cinnamon and clove match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,189 recipes. Both carry ethyl cinnamate, which smells sweet, balsamic. The science ↓
Ginger Bread and Charity Bread
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point. The book gives no cooking times either; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Prepare
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
Make the batter
In a bowl, mix the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and baking soda.
In another bowl, combine honey, brown sugar, egg, and milk until smooth.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring until well combined.
Pour the batter into a greased baking pan.
Bake
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
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.
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Cinnamon + clovetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,189 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
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Ginger + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,380 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Ginger + clovetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,038 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Flour + cinnamontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,341 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Cinnamon + milktop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,655 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- All-purpose flour
- Provides the structure that holds the batter together as it bakes.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic and sugary ingredients to produce gas that lifts the batter.
- Honey
- Adds sweetness and moisture, and helps the crumb stay soft and browned.
- Brown sugar
- Adds sweetness, moisture and deeper color through caramelized flavor.
- Egg
- Binds the batter and adds structure as its proteins set during baking.
- Milk
- Adds moisture and helps the batter blend into a smooth, even mixture.
The step that matters
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Adding dry ingredients slowly and stirring only until combined helps keep the batter smooth. Overmixing flour develops gluten, which can make the baked gingerbread tough and dense.
Swap the clove
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, ginger, cinnamon, honey, sugar, egg, milk):
- Cardamomfits better
- Nutmegfits better
- Clovethe original
- Turmericfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against flour, ginger, cinnamon, honey, sugar, egg, milk. 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.
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