Perfect Pairings & Recipes for
Bread Dough

Top flavour pairings and bread dough recipes, revealed through the hidden methmatics of flavour.

Bread dough conjures the embrace of wheat and the bracing kiss of yeast, but beneath its sourness lies a complex symphony of subtle flavour notes, such as lactic acid, starch, and hints of malt, contributing remarkable depth. The key to a beautiful harmony lies in knowing how these notes interact and harmonise.

To illuminate these harmonies, we embarked on an ambitious journey, analysing thousands of ingredients. Each was meticulously deconstructed across 150 distinct flavour dimensions, allowing us to pinpoint precisely which notes complement in both classic and unexpected ways. Our findings reveal, for instance, how oregano's rosmarinic tones can awaken bread dough, or how sage's rosmarinic notes create an unexpectedly harmonious bridge with the grainy sweetness.

An ingredient's flavour profile is determined by its core characteristics (e.g. acidic, maillard, and nectarous) enhanced by layers of subtle aroma notes (outer bars). When pairing ingredients, aim for a mix of core traits to build balance, and select complementary aroma notes to create harmony.

Flavour Pairing Method

To understand exactly which flavours harmonise, we compiled a database of over 50,000 ingredient pairings commonly used in cooking. We then analysed these pairings, identifying the specific flavour notes that frequently appear together.

The Flavours That Harmonise With Wheat Notes

Our analysis shows that the flavour of wheat is strongly associated with the flavour of rosemary. This suggests we should look for ingredients with a rosemary flavour, such as sage, when pairing with the wheaty aroma accents of bread dough.

The recipe below provides inspiration for pairing bread dough with sage.

Harmonious Flavours Of Bread Dough

Just as our analysis revealed that wheat and rosemary flavour notes are harmonious, we can identify the full profile of flavours that harmonise with each of the flavour notes present in bread dough. For instance, the yeasty accents of bread dough are strongly associated with sesame and oleic accents.

The aroma accents linked to the various aromas of bread dough can be seen highlighted in the pink bars below.

Matching Flavour Profiles

The flavour profile of oregano offers many of the aromas complementary to bread dough, including rosemary and sage notes. Because the flavour profile of oregano has many of the of the features that are complementary to bread dough, they are likely to pair very well together.

The chart above shows the unique profile of oregano across 150 dimensions of flavour, while the recipes below offer inspiration for bringing these flavours together with bread dough.

Recipes That Pair Bread Dough With Oregano

Linked Flavour Notes

Looking at the aromas that are most strongly associated with the various flavours of bread dough, we can identify other ingredients that are likely to pair well.

The left side of the chart above highlights the aroma notes of bread dough, along with the complementary aromas associated with each note. While the right side shows some of the ingredients that share many of the notes complementary to bread dough.

What To Drink With Bread Dough

The rosemary notes in les baux de provence make it a perfect pairing with bread dough. Likewise, the rosemary flavours in pays d’oc create a match made in heaven. Explore a variety of ingredients below that beautifully complement the unique character of bread dough below.

Which Vegetables Go With Bread Dough?

Choose vegetables that enrich its starchiness or anchor its sharp acidity. Artichoke offers vibrant, clean counterpoints, its verdant freshness lifting the palate. Celery add a gentle, oniony brightness, while pea introduces a sophisticated, anise-tinged elegance.

Alternatively, embrace vegetables that harmonise with bread dough's sharpness. The addition of carrot, with its subtle hexenal notes, can complement the vinegar beautifully. Red pepper bridges earthiness and citrus zest, while broccoli lends a woody herbiness.

How Flavonomics Works

We've pioneered a unique, data-driven approach to decode the intricate art of flavour pairing. Our goal is to move beyond intuition and uncover the science of why certain ingredients harmonise beautifully. This rigorous methodology allows us to provide you with insightful and reliable pairing recommendations.

Our analysis begins with over 50,000 carefully selected recipes from acclaimed chefs like Galton Blackiston, Marcello Tully, and Pierre Lambinon. This premium dataset ensures our model distils genuine culinary excellence and creativity.

Each ingredient from these recipes is deconstructed across 150 distinct flavour dimensions, creating a unique numerical "flavour fingerprint." This quantification allows us to apply advanced analytical methods to identify complex patterns between flavour notes.

We identify popular ingredient combinations that frequently appear in our recipe database. Regression analysis is then performed on these pairings to statistically validate and pinpoint truly harmonious flavours.

These insights drive our predictive model, which allows us to take any ingredient (e.g., Bread dough), analyse its detailed flavour profile, and accurately reveal its complementary flavours and perfect ingredient partners.