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 ↓
No-Knead Challah
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dough
Mix yeast and warm water.
Stir in sugar.
Add 3 eggs, margarine, and salt, mixing well.
Add 2 cups flour; stir well.
Let dough rise 6 hours.
Shape and bake
With floured hands, divide dough into 2 or 3 sections.
Divide each section into three strips.
Roll strips into ropes of approximately equal size.
Braid each set of three ropes on a floured cookie sheet.
Let rise 1 hour.
Brush egg-water mixture over tops of loaves.
Bake in a preheated 400-degree oven for 20 minutes.
Turn onto wire racks to let cool.
Wrap and freeze, if desired.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 5 of 6 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| 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).
-
Egg + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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
- Add richness, structure and a tender crumb to the braided loaves.
- All-purpose flour
- Forms the gluten network that gives the bread its structure.
- Active dry yeast
- Ferments the dough so it rises and becomes light and airy.
- Margarine
- Adds fat for a soft, tender texture and moist crumb.
- Granulated sugar
- Feeds the yeast and adds sweetness and browning.
The step that matters
Let the dough rise 6 hours. Yeast needs enough time to produce gas and develop flavor; rising too briefly leaves the loaves dense, while the dough's gluten needs time to relax and strengthen.
“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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