Why it works: Butter and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓
Dough-nuts
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dough
In a large bowl, mix the flour, butter, sugar, and cinnamon together.
Beat the eggs until light and add them to the mixture.
Stir in the sponge and rose-water, then add enough milk to form a soft dough.
Cover the dough and let it rise overnight.
Shape and fry
In the morning, roll out the dough to about ¼ inch thick and cut into desired shapes.
Let the cut dough rise again until light.
Heat the lard and drop the dough shapes into it to fry until golden.
Remove from the lard and let cool, then sprinkle with sugar.
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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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Flour + cinnamontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,341 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Cinnamon + milktop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,655 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
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Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together30,779 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Sugar and cinnamon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 30,779 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 structure that holds the dough together and gives the doughnuts their body.
- Butter
- Adds fat for a tender texture and richer flavor in the dough.
- Eggs
- Add structure and richness, helping bind the dough and give it a lighter crumb.
- Sponge
- Is a fermented leaven that makes the dough rise and gives it a light, airy texture.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the fried shapes brown to a golden color.
The step that matters
Frying the cut dough in hot lard. If the lard is not hot enough, the dough absorbs excess fat and turns greasy; if it is too hot, the outside browns before the inside cooks. Steady heat gives an even golden crust and a fully cooked centre.
“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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