Why it works: Sugar and molasses 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 ↓
Brown 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.
Mix the batter
In a large bowl, combine sour milk, brown sugar, molasses, rye meal or Graham flour, Indian meal, salt, and baking soda. Mix until well combined.
Pour the mixture into a greased baking pan.
Boil and bake
Boil for 3 hours.
Then bake in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for 1 hour.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Sugar + molassestop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Milk + ryetop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together918 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
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Molasses + ryetop 16% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together804 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Milk + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Milk + molassestop 21% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together7,243 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Milk and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 77,875 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
- Sour milk
- Provides moisture and acidity, which reacts with the baking soda to help the bread rise.
- Baking soda
- Acts as the leavening agent, releasing gas when it meets the acid in the sour milk.
- Rye meal or graham flour
- Adds body, a hearty texture and a nutty, wholesome flavor.
- Indian meal
- Gives the bread its coarse, crumbly texture and structure.
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness, moisture and a deep brown color.
- Brown sugar
- Adds sweetness, moisture and caramel-like flavor.
The step that matters
Mix until well combined. The baking soda must be evenly distributed through the batter so it reacts with the acid in the sour milk throughout. Unmixed pockets can leave uneven rising and dense or bitter spots.
“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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