Why it works: Butter and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 12% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Cream Puffs
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the dough
Combine butter and boiling water in a saucepan.
Add flour all at once and stir until smooth.
Remove from heat and add unbeaten eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly.
Bake and fill
Drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto a buttered baking sheet, spacing them 1½ inches apart.
Bake for 30 minutes in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C).
Make an incision in the top of each puff large enough to admit filling.
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 + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Egg + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Butter and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 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
- Butter
- Adds fat and richness, and melts into the water to start the dough.
- Flour
- Provides the structure that holds the puffs' shape as they bake.
- Eggs
- Set during baking to form the hollow walls and add structure and richness.
The step that matters
Adding the eggs off the heat, one at a time. If the dough is too hot, the eggs can scramble. Adding them gradually and mixing well lets each one blend in, giving a smooth, glossy paste that puffs evenly.
“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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