Why it works: Buttermilk and syrup match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 124 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Graham Gems
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
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a bowl, combine the beaten egg and salt.
Make and bake
Add the sour or buttermilk, syrup, lard, and baking soda to the mixture.
Stir in the Graham flour until well combined.
Pour the batter into a greased baking dish and bake until golden brown.
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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Buttermilk + syruptop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together124 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Buttermilk + flourtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,721 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Egg + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Syrup + flourtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,540 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Egg + buttermilktop 25% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,986 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
Egg and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 106,462 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
- Eggs
- Binds the batter and adds structure as it sets in the oven.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic sour milk or buttermilk to produce gas that lifts the batter.
- Sour or buttermilk
- Provides acidity that activates the baking soda and adds moisture and tenderness.
- Graham flour
- Forms the main structure of the gems and contributes a nutty, wholesome flavor.
- Lard
- Adds fat that tenderizes the crumb and helps the gems brown.
The step that matters
Pour the batter into a greased baking dish and bake until golden brown.. Baking soda starts producing gas as soon as it meets the acidic liquid, so the batter should go into the oven promptly to trap that lift. Greasing the dish keeps the gems from sticking.
“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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