Why it works: Syrup and sugar match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,842 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. 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.
Make the batter
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a bowl, mix the New Orleans syrup, butter, and sugar until well combined.
Add the sour milk or buttermilk, baking soda, and cream of tartar, and mix thoroughly.
Stir in ginger to taste and gradually add flour until the batter thickens.
Bake
Pour the batter into a greased baking pan and bake for about 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick 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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Syrup + sugartop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,842 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Syrup + creamtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,964 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
- New orleans syrup
- Provides the main sweetness, dark colour and moisture for the gingerbread.
- Butter
- Adds fat for a tender crumb and rich flavour.
- Sour milk or buttermilk
- Its acidity reacts with the baking soda so the batter rises and stays tender.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acid in the milk to produce gas that lifts the batter.
- Cream of tartar
- Adds acidity that helps the leavening reaction and balances the sweetness.
- Flour
- Provides structure, thickening the batter so it holds its shape while baking.
The step that matters
Adding the flour gradually. Flour builds gluten, which toughens the crumb if overmixed. Adding it slowly and stopping once the batter thickens keeps the gingerbread tender.
Swap the ginger
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (syrup, butter, sugar, milk, cream, flour):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Nutmegfits better
- Jalapenofits about as well
- Gingerthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against syrup, butter, sugar, milk, cream, 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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