Why it works: Milk and wheat are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,418 recipes. Both carry (e,z)-2,6-nonadienal, which smells cucumber, melon. The science ↓
Date Bread
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Scald the milk and let it cool.
Mix the yeast with one-fourth cup of milk.
Mix and knead
Add the remaining milk with the salt, molasses, and chopped dates.
Stir in the flour, including white flour as needed.
Add two cups of whole wheat flour, then add more as required.
Shape and bake
When the dough has doubled in bulk, shape into a loaf.
Let it rise again until light, then bake for one hour.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Date | 1 date (24g) medjool | 66 |
| Molasses | 1 tbsp (20g) | 58 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
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. See the original page.
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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Milk + wheattop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,418 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,z)-2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, melon).
-
Wheat + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,373 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Dates + wheattop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together69 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (clove, smoky).
-
Milk + flourtop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Milk + datestop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together470 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Milk and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 78,219 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
- Milk
- Adds moisture and softness to the crumb.
- Whole wheat flour
- Provides the main structure through gluten, giving a denser, nuttier crumb than white flour.
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness, moisture and a darker color to the loaf.
- Dates
- Add sweetness and moisture, softening the crumb as the bread bakes.
- Yeast (in the method)
- Ferments the dough so it rises and becomes light.
The step that matters
Adding the flour. Add flour gradually and stop when the dough is workable. Whole wheat flour absorbs a lot of liquid, and too much flour makes the loaf dense and dry.
Swap the dates
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (milk, molasses, wheat, flour):
- Raisinfits better
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits better
- Datesthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against milk, molasses, wheat, flour. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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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