Why it works: Sugar and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 92,116 recipes. Both carry phenylacetaldehyde, which smells hawthorne, honey. The science ↓
Lenten Bread
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the dough
Prepare yeast according to directions. Sift flour in a large bowl.
Make a well in the middle; add salt, oil and yeast; slowly add the lukewarm water, and begin mixing by hand until flour is used up.
Turn out onto floured table and knead for 20 minutes.
Place dough in a greased pan; cover and allow to rise until double in bulk for about 1 1/2 hours in a warm place.
Punch down dough, cover and let stand about 15 minutes.
Shape and bake
Grease loaf pans. Shape dough on floured table to fit pans, 1/2 full.
Cover and let rise again for 45 minutes.
Bake in a preheated 350 oven for about 15 minutes; reduce heat to 300 for 30 to 45 minutes until bread is done and golden in colour.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 4 of 5 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
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.
-
Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
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 gluten-forming proteins that build the dough's structure and chew.
- Dry yeast
- Ferments sugars and releases gas, causing the dough to rise and become airy.
- Lukewarm water
- Hydrates the flour to form dough and activates the yeast.
- Oil
- Adds fat that softens the crumb and keeps the loaf tender.
The step that matters
Kneading and the first rise. Kneading for the full 20 minutes develops the gluten network that traps the yeast's gas. Letting the dough rise until doubled gives it enough gas for a light loaf.
“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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