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 ↓
Raisin 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.
Make the sponge
Make a sponge at night by combining the scalded milk and lard.
When cool, stir in the beaten egg, sugar, yeast, and enough flour to make a soft batter.
Make the dough and shape
In the morning, add salt, raisins, and enough flour to form a dough.
Let the dough rise, then shape it into five loaves.
Rise and bake
Sprinkle cinnamon on top.
Let it rise again.
Bake for one hour at 350°F (175°C).
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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Flour + raisintop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together9,075 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Raisin + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,390 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
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Flour + cinnamontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,341 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Milk + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,655 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
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Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together30,779 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, 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
- Milk
- Provides moisture and feeds the yeast in the sponge, helping the dough develop.
- Egg
- Adds structure and richness to the soft dough, helping it hold together.
- Sugar
- Feeds the yeast and adds sweetness and browning to the crust.
- Yeast
- Produces gas that makes the dough rise and gives the loaves an airy crumb.
- Flour
- Forms the gluten network that gives the dough its structure and chew.
- Raisins
- Add sweetness, moisture and chewy texture throughout the loaves.
The step that matters
Let the dough rise, then shape it into five loaves. Yeast needs enough time to produce gas and build structure before shaping. Under-proofed dough stays dense, while over-proofed dough can collapse and bake up flat.
“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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