Why it works: Flour and ginger are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 8,564 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Yeast That Won't Sour
three quartsIngredients
Directions
Make the hop mixture
For three quarts, take two handfuls (as much as you can hold) of hops, one teacup of flour, half a teacup of salt, half a teacup of white sugar, and two large tablespoonfuls of ginger.
While the hops are boiling, mix the above with a little cold water, strain the hop water, wash out the kettle, pour all in the kettle again, stirring all the time to keep from burning; it will be thick and smooth.
Boil thoroughly.
Add the yeast
Have the yeast jar perfectly clean.
Pour in the cooked batter and set away to cool.
When cool enough not to scald the yeast, put in a tea‑cupful of yeast.
When light, tie up tightly and set on the cellar floor.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 2 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Ginger | 1 tsp grated fresh (2g) | 2 |
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.
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.
-
Flour + gingertop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,564 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Flour
- Thickens the batter so it becomes thick and smooth as it cooks.
- White sugar (in the method)
- Provides sweetness and food for the yeast to feed on.
- Yeast (in the method)
- Ferments the batter so it rises and becomes light.
The step that matters
When cool enough not to scald the yeast, put in a tea‑cupful of yeast.. Yeast is killed by high heat, so the batter must cool to lukewarm before adding it. Adding yeast to hot liquid can destroy its ability to ferment and leaven the batter.
“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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