Why it works: Flour and rye match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,320 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Third Bread
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the dough
Scald the cornmeal with boiling water and let it cool.
Add yeast, flour, rye flour, molasses, and salt.
Mix with lukewarm water until combined.
Mold the dough by hand and let it rise overnight.
Finish and bake
In the morning, add baking soda and mix well.
Bake in biscuit form or in loaves.
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 + ryetop 8% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,320 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + molassestop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,429 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Rye + molassestop 16% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together804 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
- Coarsely ground cornmeal
- Provides the main corn flavor and a coarse, hearty texture once scalded.
- All-purpose flour
- Builds the dough's structure as its gluten forms and holds the gas from the rise.
- Rye flour
- Adds earthy flavor and a denser crumb, since it forms less gluten than wheat flour.
- Yeast
- Ferments the dough overnight, producing gas that makes it rise and gives it flavor.
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness and moisture, and helps the crust brown during baking.
- Baking soda
- Adds extra lift by releasing gas in the dough during baking.
The step that matters
Adding the baking soda in the morning. Baking soda releases gas quickly once it meets moisture and acid in the dough. Mixing it in evenly gives a uniform rise, and shaping and baking soon after keeps that gas in the loaves.
“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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