Why it works: Sugar and molasses are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,225 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
★ Plum Pudding of Crumbs
Ingredients
Directions
Make the pudding
Combine 1 rounding pint of dry bread crumbs, 1 small cup molasses, ¼ cup sugar, ½ cup seeded raisins, 2½-3 cups milk, and salt.
Steam, covered, for 4-5 hours.
Stand out of steamer for 10-15 minutes before unmolding.
Serve
Serve with vanilla flavored orange syrup sauce, plain pudding sauce, or almond cream sauce.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Grape | 1/2 cup (76g) | 62 |
| Molasses | 1 tbsp (20g) | 58 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 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.
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.
-
Sugar + molassestop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Raisin + molassestop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,577 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Sugar + raisintop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,481 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Raisin + milktop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,155 recipes
Shared aroma: decanoic acid (acides aroma).
-
Sugar + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Sugar and milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 77,875 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
- Dry bread crumbs (in the method)
- Form the body of the pudding and soak up the milk to set a soft, moist crumb.
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness, dark color, and a deep, rich flavor.
- Milk
- Moistens the bread crumbs and helps the pudding set during steaming.
- Seeded raisins
- Add chewy texture and concentrated sweetness throughout the pudding.
The step that matters
Steam, covered, for 4-5 hours. Steaming gently and keeping the lid covered maintains steady moist heat, so the bread and milk cook into a tender, set pudding rather than drying out or turning rubbery.
Swap the raisin
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, milk, molasses):
- Vanillafits better
- Raisinthe original
- Figfits about as well
- Applefits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, milk, molasses. 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.
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