Why it works: Flour and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 78,219 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Indian Loaf
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.
Mix
In a large bowl, combine the Indian meal, flour, shortening, sour milk, molasses, baking soda, and salt. Mix until well combined.
Steam and bake
Pour the mixture into a steamer and steam for 1 hour.
After steaming, transfer to an oven and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 30 to 45 minutes.
Serve hot.
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 + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 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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Milk + molassestop 21% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together7,243 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
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
- Indian meal
- Provides the coarse cornmeal body and structure of the loaf.
- Flour
- Adds gluten-based structure so the loaf holds its shape.
- Shortening
- Adds fat for a tender, moist crumb.
- Sour milk
- Its acidity reacts with baking soda to help the loaf rise.
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness, dark color and moisture.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acid in sour milk to produce gas that lightens the loaf.
The step that matters
Steaming before baking. Steaming first gives the batter time to set and rise with moist heat, so the loaf stays moist inside. Baking afterward then dries and browns the surface. Skipping or shortening the steam can leave a dense, gummy center.
“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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