Why it works: Molasses and flour 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 ↓
Molasses Gingerbread
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.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Make the batter
In a large bowl, combine molasses, warm water, and shortening.
Stir in baking soda and mix well.
Gradually add flour and spices, mixing until smooth.
Pour the batter into a greased baking pan.
Bake
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick 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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Molasses + flourtop 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
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness, dark color, and a moist, rich flavor to the crumb.
- All-purpose flour
- Provides the structure that sets the batter into a cake-like crumb.
- Shortening
- Adds fat that tenderizes the crumb and keeps it moist.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidity of molasses to produce gas that lightens the batter.
The step that matters
Stir in baking soda and mix well. Baking soda needs to be evenly distributed through the batter so it reacts with the molasses's acidity and lifts the cake uniformly. Uneven mixing can leave pockets that are bitter or cause uneven rising.
“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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