Why it works: Flour and molasses are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 16% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 10,429 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. The book gives no cooking times either; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Make the dough
Mix graham flour and molasses in a bowl.
Add water gradually until a dough forms.
Knead the dough until smooth.
Shape, rise and bake
Shape into a loaf and place in a greased pan.
Let rise for 30 minutes.
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 30-35 minutes.
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 + molassestop 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
- Graham flour
- Provides the main structure of the loaf, with bran and germ adding a coarse, hearty texture.
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness and moisture, and helps the crust brown during baking.
The step that matters
Add water gradually until a dough forms. Graham flour absorbs water at different rates depending on its bran content and freshness. Adding water slowly lets you stop when the dough is right, avoiding a sticky or dry dough that would bake up dense.
“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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