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 ↓
Graham Bread
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a slow oven”. The 300°F (150°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Preheat your oven to 300°F (150°C).
Make the batter
In a large bowl, mix together the graham flour, brown sugar, molasses, salt, and baking soda.
Stir in the sour milk or buttermilk until well combined.
Bake
Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan.
Bake for 2 hours 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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Sugar + molassestop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + sugartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
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Flour + molassestop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,429 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Sugar + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Flour and milk 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
- Graham flour
- Provides the structure and the nutty, coarse texture of the loaf.
- Molasses
- Adds moisture, dark colour and a deep, slightly bitter sweetness.
- Brown sugar
- Adds sweetness and moisture, and helps the crust brown.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic sour milk to produce gas that lifts the batter.
- Sour milk or buttermilk
- Supplies liquid and acidity that activates the baking soda and tenderises the crumb.
The step that matters
Stir in the sour milk just until combined. Baking soda starts producing gas as soon as it meets the acidic milk, so the batter should go into the pan and into the oven promptly. Overmixing develops gluten and can make the loaf dense.
“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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