Skip to main content
Bread

Ginger Bread

A sweet loaf made with brown sugar, ginger, cloves, butter, and molasses.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
By Mary Randolph (1762–1828) · From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 6 ingredients
Jump to recipe ↓

Why it works: Ginger and clove match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,038 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

Ginger Bread

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the dry ingredients

  1. Three quarters of a pound of brown sugar

  2. A large spoonful of pounded ginger

  3. One teaspoon of powdered cloves, sifted

  4. Three quarts of flour

Make the dough

  1. Melt half a pound of butter in a quart of rich molasses

  2. Wet the flour with the melted butter and molasses

  3. Knead the dough well

Bake

  1. Bake the loaf in a slack oven

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

218Calories
0 gProtein
12 gFat
29 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Molasses1 tbsp (20g)58
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Clove1 tsp ground (2g)7
Ginger1 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.

By Mary Randolph (1762–1828). 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.

  1. Ginger + clovetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together6,038 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  2. Ginger + teatop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together216 recipes

    Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).

  3. Sugar + molassestop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together9,225 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

  4. Tea + clovetop 12% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together181 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).

  5. Molasses + clovetop 13% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together3,483 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Flour (in the method)
Forms the structure that holds the loaf together as it bakes.
Butter
Adds fat for a tender crumb and rich flavor.
Molasses
Adds sweetness, moisture, dark color and a deep flavor.
Brown sugar
Adds sweetness and moisture, and helps the crust brown.
Pounded ginger
Provides the warm, spicy aroma that defines the gingerbread.

The step that matters

Bake the loaf in a slack oven. A low, gentle oven lets the loaf cook through evenly. Too much heat can scorch the sugar and molasses on the outside while the centre stays doughy.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, ginger, butter, molasses, tea):

  1. Cinnamonfits better
  2. Cardamomfits about as well
  3. Clovethe original
  4. Nutmegfits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, ginger, butter, molasses, tea. 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.

More ginger bread recipes

Soft 46Molasses 7Hard 5Sponge 4Colonial 3Pudding 3 See all 65 →

You might also like

CornbreadCornbread345 recipesBread PuddingBread Pudding336 recipesMilk Bread RollsMilk Bread Rolls242 recipesPotato BreadPotato Bread124 recipes