Why it works: Flour and buttermilk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,721 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Johnny Cake
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.
Make the batter
In a large bowl, mix the Indian meal, flour, molasses, and salt.
Dissolve the baking soda in buttermilk or sour milk and add to the mixture.
Stir until the batter is rather stiff.
Bake
Pour the batter into a greased baking dish.
Bake in a preheated oven at 400°F (200°C) until golden brown.
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 + buttermilktop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,721 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Molasses + buttermilktop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together526 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
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
- Indian meal
- Provides the main body and structure of the cornmeal bread.
- All-purpose flour
- Adds gluten-based structure so the bread holds together.
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness and deep flavour, and helps the crust brown.
- Buttermilk or sour milk
- Adds moisture and acidity that react with the baking soda.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic buttermilk to produce gas that lifts the batter.
The step that matters
Stir until the batter is rather stiff. Stirring only until combined keeps the batter from becoming overworked; the baking soda starts reacting as soon as it meets the acidic liquid, so the batter should go into the oven promptly to keep the rise.
“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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