Why it works: Corn and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,165 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Brown Bread
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Mix the batter
Scald 1 quart of cornmeal with boiling water.
Add lukewarm water and gradually stir in the remaining cornmeal and graham flour.
Add the salt, molasses, and yeast last.
Rise and bake
Set the mixture to rise until light.
Bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven.
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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Corn + flourtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,165 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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Corn + molassestop 26% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together644 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
- Corn meal
- Forms the bulk of the bread and gives it a coarse, crumbly texture.
- Graham flour
- Adds gluten-forming structure and a nutty, wholesome flavor.
- Yeast
- Produces gas that makes the batter rise and become light.
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness and moisture and helps the crust brown.
The step that matters
Let the mixture rise until light. Yeast gas is what lifts the batter. Too little rising leaves the bread dense, while rising far too long can exhaust the yeast and cause the loaf to collapse or turn sour.
“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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