Why it works: Flour and molasses are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 16% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 10,429 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Graham 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 and rise the dough
In a large bowl, combine the flour, molasses, baking soda, and salt.
Add the yeast and mix until a soft dough forms.
Let the dough rise until doubled in size.
Bake
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Bake the risen dough for about 30-40 minutes or 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 + 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
- Flour
- Forms the gluten network that gives the loaf its structure and chew.
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness, moisture, and a dark color as the loaf browns.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic molasses to release gas that helps lift the loaf.
- Yeast
- Ferments the sugars and produces gas that makes the dough rise.
The step that matters
Let the dough rise until doubled in size. Yeast gas expands the gluten network, so the dough needs enough time to double for a light loaf. Too little rising leaves it dense, while too much can weaken the structure and let it collapse in the oven.
“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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