Why it works: Flour and buttermilk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,721 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Brown 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 the oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a bowl, mix the Roman meal, graham flour, and whole wheat flour.
In another bowl, combine molasses and buttermilk.
Dissolve the baking soda in hot water and add it to the molasses mixture.
Combine both mixtures and stir until well blended.
Bake
Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan.
Bake for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick 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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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 + buttermilktop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,721 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Molasses + buttermilktop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together526 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Flour + wheattop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,373 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + molassestop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,429 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Wheat + buttermilktop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together226 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
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic buttermilk and molasses to release gas, helping the loaf rise.
- Buttermilk
- Its acidity activates the baking soda and adds tenderness to the crumb.
- Molasses
- Adds moisture, dark color, and a deep sweet flavor to the bread.
- Graham flour
- Contributes coarse bran and nutty flavor, giving the loaf a dense, hearty texture.
- Whole wheat flour
- Adds bran and gluten-forming protein that give structure and a hearty body.
The step that matters
Dissolving the baking soda in hot water before combining. Baking soda needs an acid to react. Dissolving it fully and mixing it evenly into the molasses and buttermilk spreads the reaction through the batter, so the loaf rises evenly instead of forming pockets or dense spots.
“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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