Why it works: Rye and flour match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,320 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Brown Bread
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Sift together the Indian meal, rye or graham flour, all-purpose flour, and salt.
Dissolve the baking soda in a small amount of water and add it to the mixture.
Mix and steam
Stir in the sour milk and molasses, and beat well.
Pour the batter into a greased mold and steam for three to four hours.
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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Rye + flourtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,320 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).
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Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + molassestop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,429 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Rye + molassestop 16% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together804 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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
- Indian meal
- Provides the coarse cornmeal body and structure of the bread.
- Rye or graham flour
- Adds a hearty, nutty flavour and a denser crumb.
- All-purpose flour
- Gives the batter enough gluten structure to hold its shape.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the sour milk to produce gas that lifts the batter.
- Sour milk
- Its acidity activates the baking soda and adds moisture and tang.
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness, moisture and a deep brown colour.
The step that matters
Dissolving the baking soda. Baking soda needs an acid to react and release carbon dioxide. It should be fully dissolved in a little water and mixed in evenly so the sour milk can activate it throughout the batter, giving an even rise rather than pockets of gas or dense spots.
“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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