Why it works: Milk and ginger are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 19% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,519 recipes. Both carry methyl 2-methylbutyrate, which smells fruity, apple. The science ↓
Soft Ginger Bread
Ingredients
Directions
Heat one cup of molasses and one tablespoon of lard together until hot.
Add half a cup of sour milk, a teaspoon of ginger, and flour to make a stiff batter.
Dissolve one large teaspoon of soda in hot water and mix into the batter.
Bake in a rather slow oven.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Sour Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Lard | 1 tbsp (12.8g) | 115 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Ginger | 1 tsp grated fresh (2g) | 2 |
| 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.
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 + gingertop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,519 recipes
Shared aroma: methyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Molasses (in the method)
- Provides sweetness, dark color, and moisture to the gingerbread.
- Sour milk
- Its acidity reacts with the soda to lift and soften the crumb.
- Soda
- Reacts with the acidic sour milk to produce gas that makes the bread rise.
- Flour (in the method)
- Forms the gluten structure that gives the batter body and holds its shape.
- Lard
- Adds fat that tenderizes the crumb and keeps it soft.
The step that matters
Dissolving the soda in hot water. Soda needs moisture and heat to dissolve evenly; if it stays in lumps, pockets of baking soda taste bitter and the rise is uneven. Mix it fully into the batter so the acid in the sour milk can react throughout.
“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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