Why it works: Molasses and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,225 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Ginger Bread
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
Make the batter
In a large bowl, mix together the molasses, sugar, sour milk, eggs, baking soda, ground ginger, lard, and salt.
Gradually add sifted flour until the batter reaches a cake-like consistency.
Pour the batter into a greased baking pan.
Bake
Bake for about 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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Molasses + sugartop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Molasses + gingertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,116 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Milk + flourtop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
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Ginger + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,564 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Milk and flour 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
- Molasses
- Adds dark color, moisture and a deep, slightly bitter sweetness to the cake.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the cake brown as it bakes.
- Sour milk
- Its acidity reacts with the baking soda so the cake rises and stays tender.
- Eggs
- Add structure and moisture, helping the batter set into a firm crumb.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic sour milk and molasses to produce gas that leavens the cake.
- Ground ginger
- Provides the warm, spicy aroma that defines gingerbread.
The step that matters
Gradually add the flour. Adding flour gradually and mixing only until smooth keeps the batter at the cake-like consistency the recipe calls for. Too much flour or overmixing develops gluten and makes the crumb tough and dense.
Swap the ginger
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (molasses, sugar, milk, egg, flour):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Nutmegfits better
- Jalapenofits about as well
- Gingerthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against molasses, sugar, milk, egg, flour. 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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