Why it works: Flour and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 92,116 recipes. Both carry phenylacetaldehyde, which smells hawthorne, honey. The science ↓
Modern Cookery
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Mix the dough
Mix the sesquicarbonate of soda with the sugar and flour.
Dilute the muriatic acid with water to form a smooth dough.
Combine the liquid with the flour mixture, stirring constantly.
Shape and bake
Divide the dough into two loaves.
Bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven until thoroughly cooked.
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 + sugartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Flour
- Provides starch and proteins that form the loaf's structure.
- Sesquicarbonate of soda
- Supplies the alkali that reacts with the acid to produce gas for rising.
- Muriatic acid
- Reacts with the alkaline soda to release carbon dioxide, which lifts the dough.
- Sugar
- Adds a little sweetness and helps the crust brown.
The step that matters
Combining the liquid with the flour mixture. The acid and soda react as soon as they meet and release carbon dioxide, so the mixing should be quick and even, and the dough shaped and baked before the gas escapes.
“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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