Why it works: Flour and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 78,219 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Baking Powder Biscuit
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the dough
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Sift the flour and baking powder together twice.
Rub in the shortening until the mixture resembles fine meal.
Gradually mix in enough milk to form a soft dough, using a bread knife.
When the dough is stiff enough to handle, it should look spongy in the cuts.
Shape and bake
Turn the dough out onto a well-floured board and toss with a knife until floured.
Pat the dough with a rolling pin until it is about ½ inch thick.
Cut the dough into rounds and bake immediately.
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.
-
Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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
- Flour
- Forms the main structure that holds the biscuit's shape as it bakes.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas when heated, making the biscuits rise and become light.
- Shortening
- Coats flour particles so the biscuits stay tender and flaky rather than tough.
- Milk
- Hydrates the flour to form a soft dough and adds moisture to the biscuits.
The step that matters
Gradually mixing in the milk. Adding too much liquid or overworking the dough develops gluten, making the biscuits tough. Stop once the dough just holds together, so the layers stay tender and rise well.
“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.
More baking powder biscuit recipes
You might also like
White Cake431 recipes
Pound Cake373 recipes
Orange Bundt Cake349 recipes
Spice Cake344 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.