Why it works: Molasses and sugar 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 ↓
Graham Bread
Ingredients
Directions
Make the sponge
Combine 5 cups warm water, ½ cup lard, and 1 tablespoon salt in a large bowl.
Add 2 soaked yeast cakes and mix well.
Gradually thicken the mixture with graham flour.
Let it stand in a warm place overnight.
Mix and bake
Add 1 cup warm water, 1 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in water, 1 cup molasses, and 1 cup sugar.
Thicken the mixture with graham flour until it is thick enough to stir with a fork.
Smooth the top with a knife dipped in hot water.
Let the dough rise.
Bake for 40 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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Molasses + sugartop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
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Molasses + flourtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,429 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Yeast cakes
- Ferments the sponge, producing gas that lightens the loaf.
- Graham flour
- Provides the bulk and structure of the dough, giving the loaf its body.
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness, dark color, and moisture to the loaf.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the molasses's acidity to produce gas and help the loaf rise.
- Lard
- Adds fat, which tenderizes the crumb and softens the texture.
The step that matters
Thicken the mixture with graham flour until it is thick enough to stir with a fork. Flour must be added gradually so the dough reaches the right consistency. Too little leaves the loaf slack and wet, while too much makes it dense and dry.
“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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