Why it works: Flour and molasses are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 16% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 10,429 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Brown Bread
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the dough
Prepare a good sponge as for white bread.
In a bread pan, combine brown flour, white flour, Indian meal, and salt.
Wet the mixture with the sponge and add molasses for a fair-sized loaf.
If the dough is too thick, add a little luke-warm water to achieve a soft consistency.
Knead the dough thoroughly and let it rise for a longer time than white bread.
Shape and bake
After rising, knead again, shape into loaves, and allow for a second rise.
Bake steadily, ensuring it takes longer than white bread and does not burn.
Do not cut the bread while it is hot.
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.
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Flour + molassestop 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
- Brown flour
- Provides the main structure and a hearty, wholesome texture.
- White flour
- Adds lightness and helps the dough hold its rise alongside the brown flour.
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness, moisture and a darker colour to the crumb and crust.
- Indian meal
- Adds a coarser texture and a slightly grainy bite to the loaf.
The step that matters
Baking long and steadily. Bread with heavy bran-rich flour and molasses browns faster on the outside than it sets inside. Baking slowly lets the interior cook through and the sugars brown evenly without burning.
“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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