Why it works: Buttermilk and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,721 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Graham Bread
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Make the batter
In a large bowl, mix the sour buttermilk, baking soda, molasses, salt, and lard.
Stir in the white flour.
Add graham flour gradually until the mixture forms a stiff batter.
Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan.
Bake
Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
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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Buttermilk + flourtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,721 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Buttermilk + molassestop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together526 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Molasses + flourtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,429 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
- Sour buttermilk
- Its acidity reacts with baking soda to produce gas that lifts the loaf.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the sour buttermilk's acid to leaven the bread without yeast.
- New orleans molasses
- Adds sweetness, moisture, and a dark colour with a deep flavour.
- White flour
- Provides gluten structure that helps the loaf hold its shape alongside the graham flour.
- Graham flour
- Forms the bulk of the batter, giving a coarse texture and nutty flavour.
- Lard
- Adds fat that tenderises the crumb and softens its texture.
The step that matters
Add graham flour gradually until the mixture forms a stiff batter. Bran in graham flour absorbs liquid at different rates, so adding it slowly lets you judge the stiffness and avoid a dense or wet loaf.
“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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