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 ↓
Corn 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. The book gives no cooking times; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Prepare the batter
Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
In a bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, lard, and salt.
In another bowl, mix sour milk with baking soda dissolved in hot water and molasses.
Combine the wet and dry ingredients to form a stiff batter. Add more flour if necessary.
Bake
Pour the batter into a greased baking dish and bake for about 25-30 minutes.
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).
-
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
- Cornmeal
- Provides the main body and coarse, crumbly texture of the bread.
- All-purpose flour
- Adds structure so the batter holds together rather than crumbling.
- Lard
- Adds fat for tenderness and a moist crumb.
- Sour milk
- Its acidity reacts with the baking soda to help the bread rise.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acid in the sour milk and molasses to produce gas for lift.
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness, deep flavour and moisture, and contributes acidity.
The step that matters
Combine the wet and dry ingredients to form a stiff batter. Mixing just until combined keeps the batter tender. Overmixing develops gluten in the flour and makes the cornbread tough, while the baking soda starts reacting as soon as it meets the acid, so the batter should go into the oven promptly.
“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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