Name: Ginger Bread
Ingredients: one cup sugar; one cup new orleans molasses; one cup buttermilk; two cups flour in which is sifted one teaspoon baking powder; one teaspoon baking powder; one teaspoon each cinnamon; one-half cups molasses; one half cup sugar; one half cup butter; one cup each brown sugar; three cups flour; one teaspoon ginger; two teaspoons soda; one cup each of butter; five cups flour; one tablespoon soda; one half cup meat fryings; half cup buttermilk; one half teaspoon each soda; one teaspoon ground cloves; two cups flour well stirred; one fourth cup butter; one cup each molasses; one tablespoon cinnamon; one teaspoon each cloves; one half teaspoon soda in tablespoon hot water; two cups sugar; three teaspoons baking powder; one pint sweet milk; one cup sweet milk

Why it works: Cinnamon and ginger match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,380 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

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.

Cinnamon + gingertop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together6,380 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Buttermilk + flourtop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,721 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Flour + cinnamontop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together17,341 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Sugar + buttermilktop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,973 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together30,779 recipes

Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

Sugar and cinnamon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 30,779 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

Molasses: Adds dark color, moisture, and the characteristic sweet, slightly bitter flavor.
Flour: Provides the structure that holds the batter together as it bakes.
Soda: Reacts with the acidic sour milk to produce gas that lifts the batter.
Lard: Adds fat for tenderness and a moist, crumbly texture.
Sour milk: Supplies acidity to activate the soda and tenderize the crumb.
Egg: Binds the batter and adds structure and richness.

The step that matters

Dissolving and mixing the soda. Soda needs an acid, such as the sour milk, to release gas for lift. If it is not evenly mixed, pockets of unreacted soda can leave bitter spots and uneven rising.

Swap the ginger

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, molasses, buttermilk, flour, cinnamon, butter, meat):

Nutmegfits better
Cardamomfits better
Allspicefits about as well
Gingerthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, molasses, buttermilk, flour, cinnamon, butter, meat. 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.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Sour Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Lard	1 tbsp (12.8g)	115
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Yogurt	170g plain Greek	100
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Molasses	1 tbsp (20g)	58
Cream	1 tbsp (15ml) heavy	51
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Nutmeg	1 tsp ground (2.2g)	12
Cloves	1 tsp ground (2g)	7
Clove	1 tsp ground (2g)	7
Cinnamon	1 tsp ground (2.6g)	6
Ginger	1 tsp grated fresh (2g)	2
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Meat	not in our table	0
Water	not in our table	0
Dripping	not in our table	0

Ginger Bread

Ginger Bread

Ingredients

Directions

Make the batter

Bake

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)