Name: Bread Pudding
Ingredients: 1 pint fine bread crumbs; 1 pint milk; 3 tablespoons cocoa powder; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 3 large eggs; 1 cup granulated sugar; 1 pint milk

Why it works: Milk and vanilla are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19,187 recipes. Both carry ethyl caproate, which smells fruity, apple peel. The science ↓

Bread Pudding

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.

Prepare

Soak the bread crumbs in 1 pint of milk until soft.
Dissolve the cocoa powder in a little water or use vanilla extract for flavoring.
In a bowl, beat the eggs well.

Bake and serve

Combine the soaked bread crumbs, cocoa or vanilla, beaten eggs, granulated sugar, and another pint of milk.
Mix well and pour into a baking dish.
Bake at 350°F (175°C) until set.
Serve with plain or whipped cream.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together19,187 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
Vanilla + sugartop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together35,032 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Cocoa powder + vanillatop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,189 recipes

Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
Bread + milktop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together11,466 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-undecenal (sweet).
Bread + eggtop 13% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together22,662 recipes

Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).

Vanilla and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Fine bread crumbs: Form the body of the pudding by soaking up the milk and eggs.
Milk: Softens the bread and provides the liquid that the custard sets from.
Eggs: Bind the mixture and set it into a firm, sliceable custard when baked.
Granulated sugar: Adds sweetness and helps give the baked custard a tender texture.
Cocoa powder: Gives the pudding its chocolate flavor and color.