Why it works: Buttermilk and sugar match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,973 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Egg Corn Bread
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 the batter
In a pan, combine water and lard; bring to a boil.
Stir a few spoonfuls of cornmeal into the boiling mixture, then remove from heat.
Pour in half of the buttermilk, then add the cornmeal mixed with baking soda, salt, sugar, and the remaining buttermilk.
Beat the eggs until light and add them to the mixture.
Mix everything well and pour into a greased pan.
Bake
Bake in a very hot oven at 400°F (200°C) 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 + sugartop 9% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,973 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Buttermilk + eggtop 25% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,986 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Cornmeal
- Forms the main body of the bread and gives it its corn flavor and crumb.
- Buttermilk
- Adds moisture and tang, and reacts with the baking soda to help the bread rise.
- Eggs
- Bind the batter and add structure and richness to the crumb.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidity of the buttermilk to release gas, helping the bread rise.
- Lard
- Adds fat for tenderness and helps the crust brown.
The step that matters
Scalding the cornmeal in boiling water and lard. Stirring cornmeal into the boiling mixture partly cooks the starch, which helps the cornbread hold moisture and gives a more tender crumb.
“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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