Why it works: Flour and raisin match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,075 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Graham Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
In a large bowl, combine graham flour, molasses, sweet milk, raisins, and baking soda. Mix until well combined.
Pour the mixture into a greased steaming dish.
Steam and serve
Steam for 3 hours or longer.
Serve with your choice of sauce.
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.
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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Flour + raisintop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together9,075 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Molasses + raisintop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,577 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Milk + raisintop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,155 recipes
Shared aroma: decanoic acid (acides aroma).
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Flour + molassestop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,429 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
- Graham flour
- Provides the bulk and the hearty, wholesome structure of the pudding.
- Molasses
- Adds dark sweetness, moisture, and a rich flavor that defines the pudding.
- Sweet milk
- Hydrates the flour and keeps the batter moist during long steaming.
- Raisins
- Add pockets of chewy sweetness and moisture throughout the pudding.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the molasses's acidity to lighten the batter and help it rise.
The step that matters
Steam for 3 hours or longer. Steaming must run continuously with enough water in the pot. Long, gentle steam cooks the batter through evenly and sets its moist, dense texture. If the water runs low, the pudding can dry out or cook unevenly.
“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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