Why it works: Cinnamon and almond match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,514 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓
Almond 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.
Prepare the batter
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a large bowl, cream the softened butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
Add the egg yolks one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, then gently fold them into the butter mixture.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and ground cinnamon, then gradually add to the wet mixture.
Fold in the chopped blanched almonds until evenly distributed.
Bake
Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan and smooth the top.
Bake for about 45-50 minutes 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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Cinnamon + almondtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,514 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Flour + almondtop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,673 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + cinnamontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,341 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together30,779 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Butter + almondtop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,245 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).
Sugar and cinnamon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 30,779 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
- Butter
- Creams with sugar to trap air, giving a tender, rich crumb.
- Egg whites
- Whipped to stiff peaks, they add lift and an airy structure to the batter.
- Egg yolks
- Add richness and emulsify with the butter, helping bind the batter.
- Flour
- Provides the main structure that sets as the bread bakes.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the oven, helping the loaf rise.
- Blanched almonds
- Add texture and nutty flavor throughout the loaf.
The step that matters
Folding in the egg whites. Whipped whites hold the batter's lift, so folding gently keeps the air in. Stirring vigorously deflates the foam and produces a denser loaf.
“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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