Name: Wheat Pudding
Ingredients: 1 cup sour milk; 1 cup molasses; 2 cups wheat; 1 cup chopped raisins; 2 teaspoons baking soda; ¼ teaspoon salt

Why it works: Milk and wheat are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,418 recipes. Both carry (e,z)-2,6-nonadienal, which smells cucumber, melon. The science ↓

Wheat Pudding

Ingredients

Directions

The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.

Prepare the batter

In a large bowl, combine sour milk and molasses.
Stir in wheat, chopped raisins, baking soda, and salt until well mixed.
Pour the mixture into a greased baking dish.

Bake and serve

Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) until set.
Serve warm with whipped cream or egg sauce.

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.

Milk + wheattop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,418 recipes

Shared aroma: (e,z)-2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, melon).
Molasses + raisintop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together3,577 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Wheat + raisintop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together163 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Milk + raisintop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together7,155 recipes

Shared aroma: decanoic acid (acides aroma).
Milk + molassestop 21% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together7,243 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

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

What each ingredient does

Sour milk: Its acidity reacts with baking soda so the pudding rises and becomes tender.
Molasses: Adds sweetness, dark color and moisture, and contributes a rich, deep flavor.
Wheat: Provides the main structure and bulk that sets as the pudding bakes.
Chopped raisins: Add pockets of sweetness and chewy texture throughout the pudding.
Baking soda: Reacts with the acidic sour milk to release gas, helping the pudding rise.