Why it works: Cinnamon and clove match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,189 recipes. Both carry ethyl cinnamate, which smells sweet, balsamic. The science ↓
Ginger 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.
Prepare
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
Make the batter
In a large bowl, mix together molasses, brown sugar, lard, and sour milk until well combined.
Beat in the eggs one at a time.
Add baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves; mix well.
Gradually stir in the flour until the dough is smooth.
Bake
Pour the batter into a greased baking pan.
Bake for 30-40 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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Cinnamon + clovetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,189 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
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Allspice + clovetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together7,874 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
Cinnamon + allspicetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,536 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
Ginger + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,380 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Ginger + clovetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,038 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Molasses
- Adds moisture, dark color, and a deep sweet flavor to the gingerbread.
- Brown sugar
- Adds sweetness and moisture, and helps the crumb stay tender.
- Lard
- Provides fat that tenderizes the crumb and carries the spice flavors.
- Sour milk
- Its acidity reacts with the baking soda to help the cake rise and soften the crumb.
- Eggs
- Add structure and moisture, helping bind the batter as it sets in the oven.
- All-purpose flour
- Provides the structure that sets the batter into a cake-like crumb as it bakes.
The step that matters
Adding the baking soda and spices. Baking soda needs an acid, such as the sour milk and molasses, to produce gas for rising. Mixing it in evenly keeps the rise uniform and prevents soapy pockets or pale patches.
Swap the ginger
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (molasses, sugar, milk, egg, cinnamon, allspice, clove):
- Nutmegfits better
- Cardamomfits about as well
- Gingerthe original
- Fennelfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against molasses, sugar, milk, egg, cinnamon, allspice, clove. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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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