Why it works: Rye and flour match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,320 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Brown Bread
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 300°F (150°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare
In a large bowl, combine the Indian meal, rye meal, all-purpose flour, molasses, baking soda dissolved in a little hot water, sour milk, and salt, then mix until well combined.
Pour the mixture into a greased steaming mold.
Steam and dry
Steam for 4 hours.
After steaming, place the bread in a 300°F (150°C) oven to dry slightly.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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.
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Rye + flourtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,320 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Rye + milktop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together918 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
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Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + molassestop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,429 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Rye + molassestop 16% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together804 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Flour and milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 78,219 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
- Indian meal
- Provides the bulk and coarse structure of the loaf.
- Rye meal
- Adds earthy flavor and a denser, moist crumb.
- All-purpose flour
- Helps bind the batter and give it a lighter, more even crumb.
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness, dark color and moisture.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic sour milk to produce gas that lifts the bread.
- Sour milk
- Supplies moisture and acidity that activates the baking soda.
The step that matters
Steaming the bread for 4 hours. Steaming must keep the mold sealed and water level steady; if moisture escapes or the water runs low, the loaf dries out and may turn out dense or uneven.
“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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