Why it works: Buttermilk and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,721 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Graham Gems
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a very hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Make the batter
In a bowl, mix buttermilk, baking soda, salt, sugar, and baking powder.
Stir in the graham flour until very stiff.
Bake
Spoon the mixture into gem pans.
Bake in the preheated oven until golden.
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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Buttermilk + flourtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,721 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Buttermilk + sugartop 9% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,973 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Buttermilk
- Its acidity reacts with the baking soda to produce gas, helping the gems rise and stay tender.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic buttermilk to release carbon dioxide, which lifts the batter.
- Baking powder
- Supplies extra leavening gas, adding lift as the gems bake.
- Graham flour
- Provides the structure and wholesome, nutty body of the gems.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the crust brown to a golden colour.
The step that matters
Stirring in the graham flour. The batter must be very stiff, because too much mixing or too much liquid makes gluten and starch set loosely, so the gems spread or turn heavy instead of holding their shape and 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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