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 ↓
Graham Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no cooking times; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Make the batter
Combine Graham flour, sour milk, molasses, baking soda, raisins, salt, and almonds in a bowl and mix well until all ingredients are combined.
Pour the mixture into a greased pudding mold.
Steam
Steam for 3 hours.
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).
-
Raisin + almondtop 2% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,781 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).
-
Flour + almondtop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,673 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Molasses + raisintop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,577 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour and milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 78,219 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
- Graham flour
- Provides the bulk and structure of the pudding batter.
- Sour milk
- Adds moisture and acidity that reacts with the baking soda to help the pudding rise.
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness, dark color, and moisture to the pudding.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic sour milk to produce gas, lightening the batter as it steams.
- Raisins
- Add chewy texture and concentrated sweetness throughout the pudding.
- Chopped almonds
- Add crunch and nutty flavor that contrasts with the soft, moist crumb.
The step that matters
Steam for 3 hours. The pudding must steam gently and continuously for the full time so the heat sets the batter through. Lifting the lid or letting the water boil dry lets the steam escape, which can leave the pudding dense or underdone in the centre.
“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.
More graham pudding recipes
You might also like
Molasses Cookies96 recipes
Molasses Cake90 recipes
Almond Sponge Cake26 recipes
Almond Custard22 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.