Why it works: Sugar and molasses are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,225 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Graham 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
Mix warm water and yeast cake with enough wheat flour to make a nice sponge.
Let the mixture rise overnight.
Make and shape the dough
In the morning, add sugar, butter, molasses, and salt.
Mix in graham flour until stiff.
Let the dough rise until light.
Mould into loaves and let rise again.
Bake
Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) for one 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.
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Sugar + molassestop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Wheat + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,373 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Wheat + buttertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,002 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Flour + sugartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
Flour and butter barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 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
- Yeast cake
- Ferments the sponge, producing gas that makes the dough rise and become light.
- Wheat flour
- Forms the initial sponge, providing gluten that gives the dough structure to trap gas.
- Graham flour
- Adds bulk and a coarse, nutty texture, stiffening the dough into a sturdy loaf.
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness, depth of flavour, and moisture, and helps the crust brown.
- Butter
- Adds fat, which tenderises the crumb and gives a softer texture and richer flavour.
- Sugar
- Feeds the yeast and adds sweetness, and contributes to browning in the crust.
The step that matters
Mix in graham flour until stiff. Graham flour absorbs water slowly and has bran that cuts gluten strands, so the dough must be worked enough to become stiff and well developed before rising. Too little mixing leaves a slack dough that will not hold its shape in the loaves.
“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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