Why it works: Flour and raisin match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,075 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Bran Bread
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a large bowl, mix the bran flour, all-purpose flour, salt, and baking soda.
In another bowl, combine the beaten eggs, buttermilk, and molasses.
Mix and bake
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well by hand.
Fold in the raisins.
Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan and bake for about 1 hour.
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.
-
Flour + raisintop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together9,075 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + buttermilktop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,721 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Buttermilk + molassestop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together526 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Molasses + raisintop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,577 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour and egg barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 106,462 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
- Bran flour
- Provides the bulk of the structure and a hearty, fibrous texture.
- All-purpose flour
- Adds gluten-based structure so the loaf holds together.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic buttermilk or sour milk to produce gas that lifts the loaf.
- Eggs
- Bind the batter and add structure and richness.
- Buttermilk or sour milk
- Supplies moisture and acidity that activates the baking soda.
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness, moisture, and a deep color and flavor.
The step that matters
Mix the wet and dry ingredients just until combined. Once the flours meet the liquid, gluten begins to develop, and overmixing makes the loaf tough and dense. Because the baking soda starts reacting as soon as it meets the acidic liquid, the batter should go into the pan promptly.
“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.
You might also like
Molasses Sauce32 recipes
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Brown Bread461 recipes
Mutton Broth292 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.