Name: Raisin Loaf
Ingredients: ½ quantity of made dough; 1 beaten egg; 2 oz. melted butter (or drippings); ½ lb. brown sugar; ¼ lb. raisins; 1 oz. cut candied peel; a little mixed spice

Why it works: Sugar and raisin are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 12,481 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓

Raisin Loaf

Oven, in the book's wordsA moderate oven

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 loaf

Knead the beaten egg, melted butter, brown sugar, raisins, cut candied peel, and mixed spice into the made dough.
Place the dough into a buttered tin.
Let it rise for 30 minutes.

Bake

Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) for 1 hour.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

Sugar + raisintop 13% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together12,481 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together118,967 recipes

Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Butter + sugartop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together98,233 recipes

Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together122,807 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Butter + raisintop 21% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together7,630 recipes

Shared aroma: decanoic acid (acides aroma).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Made dough: Provides the yeast-risen structure that holds the loaf together and gives it lift.
Beaten egg: Adds richness and helps bind the dough, giving a tender crumb.
Melted butter: Adds fat for softness and a moist, tender texture.
Brown sugar: Adds sweetness and moisture, and helps the crust brown during baking.
Raisins: Add sweetness and chewy pockets of fruit through the loaf.