Why it works: Rye and wheat match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 404 recipes. Both carry coumarin, which smells sweet, hay. The science ↓
Rye Bread
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.
Prepare the batter
Sift together rye flour, cornmeal, wheat flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.
Rub in the lard until cold.
Add milk and mix into a smooth batter, similar to cake batter.
Bake
Pour the batter into a well-greased tin.
Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) for 45 minutes, protecting the loaf with paper for the first 20 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.
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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Rye + wheattop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together404 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
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Wheat + milktop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,418 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,z)-2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, melon).
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Rye + flourtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,320 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + wheattop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,373 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Rye + milktop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together918 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Rye flour
- Provides the characteristic flavour and a dense, moist crumb.
- Wheat flour
- Adds gluten structure so the loaf holds together better than rye alone.
- Cornmeal
- Adds texture and a slightly grainy crumb to the loaf.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the batter so the loaf rises in the oven.
- Lard
- Adds fat that tenderises the crumb and keeps it moist.
- Milk
- Hydrates the flours and forms the batter that sets as it bakes.
The step that matters
Protecting the loaf with paper for the first 20 minutes. Early in baking the surface is still soft and sets quickly, while the batter keeps rising. Covering it slows browning and stops the crust from darkening or cracking before the centre is cooked.
“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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