Why it works: Milk and molasses are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 21% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 7,243 recipes. Both carry furaneol, which smells caramel, strawberry. The science ↓
Boston Bbowx Bread
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
Combine one cup sour milk, one cup cornmeal, one cup Graham flour, half a cup molasses, half a teaspoonful of salt, and half a teaspoon soda into a batter.
Pour the batter into a covered mold.
Steam
Place the mold in a large vessel of boiling water.
Put a weight on the mold to keep it steady.
Keep the water boiling, replenishing as needed, and ensure the water does not reach the top of the mold.
Boil for three or four liours.
Finish
Turn the bread out of the mold.
Dry the bread in the oven for ten minutes.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Sour Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Molasses | 1 tbsp (20g) | 58 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
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.
-
Milk + molassestop 21% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together7,243 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Sour milk
- Its acidity reacts with the soda to lift and lighten the batter.
- Cornmeal
- Gives the bread its coarse, crumbly texture and body.
- Graham flour
- Adds structure and a nutty, wholesome flavor to the dense crumb.
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness, moisture and the dark brown color.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the sour milk's acid to produce gas that raises the bread.
The step that matters
Keep the water boiling and below the mold's top. Steaming cooks the batter gently and evenly. If the water boils dry or rises over the mold, the bread cooks unevenly and may turn out soggy or waterlogged.
“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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