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 ↓
Unfermented Bread
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
In a large basin, mix the flour, sesquicarbonate of soda, and powdered sugar with a wooden spoon.
Gradually add the cold water mixed with hydrochloric acid while stirring constantly to form a smooth mixture.
Shape and bake
Divide the dough into 2 loaves and place them in a 400°F (200°C) oven immediately.
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 the structure that holds the dough and loaf together.
- Sesquicarbonate of soda
- Supplies the alkali that releases carbon dioxide, lifting the loaf.
- Hydrochloric acid
- Reacts with the alkaline soda to release gas, so the bread rises without yeast.
- Cold water
- Hydrates the flour and carries the acid evenly through the dough.
The step that matters
Place the loaves in the oven immediately. The reaction between the soda and the acid releases gas quickly and then slows. Delaying the loaves after mixing lets much of that gas escape before baking, so the bread rises less.
“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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