Name: Whole Wheat Brown Bread
Ingredients: two cups fine whole wheat flour; one cup coarse whole wheat flour; one cup white flour; three-fourths cup molasses; two cups sour milk; one-half teaspoon salt; one teaspoon soda dissolved in a little water

Why it works: Wheat and milk 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 ↓

Whole Wheat Brown Bread

Ingredients

two cups fine whole wheat flour
one cup coarse whole wheat flour
one cup white flour
three-fourths cup molasses
two cups sour milk
one-half teaspoon salt
one teaspoon soda dissolved in a little water

Directions

Prepare

Mix the flour well before adding the liquid.
Be sure that the bread is well mixed.

Bake

Bake in a slow oven for one hour.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

711Calories

21 gProtein

9 gFat

135 gCarbs

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
Sour Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Molasses	1 tbsp (20g)	58
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.

By Chicago. Bethany union church. Woman's society. [from old catalog]. Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

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.

Wheat + milktop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,418 recipes

Shared aroma: (e,z)-2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, melon).
Wheat + flourtop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,373 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour + milktop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together78,219 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour + molassestop 16% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together10,429 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Molasses + milktop 21% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together7,243 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

Flour and milk 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

Fine whole wheat flour: Provides the main structure and body of the loaf.
Coarse whole wheat flour: Adds bran texture and a more open, hearty crumb.
White flour: Adds gluten strength to help the loaf hold its shape.
Molasses: Adds sweetness, moisture and a deep brown color.
Sour milk: Provides moisture and acidity that reacts with the soda.
Soda: Reacts with the sour milk to produce gas that lifts the loaf.

The step that matters

Mix the flour well before adding the liquid. Dry flours that are evenly distributed hydrate uniformly, so the dough develops consistently and lumps of dry flour do not remain in the 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.

Wheat Bread65 recipes

Whole Wheat Bread55 recipes

Barley Wheat Bread6 recipes

Cornbread345 recipes

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Whole Wheat Brown Bread