Why it works: Sugar and molasses are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,225 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Brown Bread
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 300°F (150°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Make the dough
In a large bowl, measure the Graham flour and add the sugar.
Mix in the molasses and the baking soda, ensuring the soda is well beaten through.
Measure the yeast sponge and add it to the mixture.
Add the sweet milk and mix thoroughly, then add enough warm water to form a stiff dough.
Rise and bake
Place the dough in a baking pan and let it rise until it is about one-third full.
Bake in a 300°F (150°C) oven for four hours or more.
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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Sugar + molassestop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + sugartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
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Flour + molassestop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,429 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Sugar + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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
- Graham flour
- Forms the main structure of the dough and gives the bread its body.
- Yeast sponge
- Ferments the dough so it rises and develops a lighter crumb.
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness, moisture and a dark colour to the crumb.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic molasses to produce gas that helps the loaf rise.
- Sweet milk
- Adds moisture and softness to the dough.
The step that matters
Beating the baking soda through the mixture. Baking soda must be evenly distributed, or pockets of it react unevenly with the acidic molasses, leaving patches that are bitter, soapy-tasting or unevenly risen.
“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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