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 ↓
Hard Times Gingerbread
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a brisk oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Make the dough
In a large bowl, mix together the molasses, sugar, butter, water, baking soda, and ginger.
Knead the mixture until soft.
Roll the dough out to a thickness of half an inch.
Shape and bake
Cut the dough into desired shapes and place them on a baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven until done.
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).
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Molasses + gingertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,116 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Sugar + gingertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together14,054 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
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Sugar + coffeetop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,344 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Sugar and ginger barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 14,054 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
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness, dark colour and moisture, and gives the gingerbread its characteristic flavour.
- Butter or sweet dripping
- Adds fat for tenderness and a softer crumb.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic molasses to produce gas, helping the gingerbread rise and lighten.
- Ginger
- Provides the main spiced aroma that defines the gingerbread.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps with browning in the oven.
The step that matters
Bake in the preheated oven until done. Baking too long dries out the gingerbread and makes it hard, while underbaking leaves it doggy and gummy in the centre. Judge doneness by a firm surface and a springy feel, since the record gives no set time.
Swap the ginger
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (molasses, sugar, butter, coffee):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Gingerthe original
- Nutmegfits about as well
- Clovefits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against molasses, sugar, butter, coffee. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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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