Why it works: Wheat and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,418 recipes. Both carry (e,z)-2,6-nonadienal, which smells cucumber, melon. The science ↓
Biscuits
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a rather hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the dough
Sift together the substitute flour, wheat flour, baking powder, and salt twice.
Cut the cold shortening into the flour mixture using two knives, then rub it in with your hands.
Quickly mix in the cold liquid to form a soft dough that can be rolled out.
Turn the dough onto a floured surface and roll it to about ½ inch thick.
Shape and bake
Cut into rounds and place in lightly floured biscuit tins.
Bake in a preheated oven at 400°F (200°C) for 10 to 12 minutes.
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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Wheat + milktop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,418 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,z)-2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, melon).
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Flour + wheattop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,373 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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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
- Wheat flour
- Provides gluten that gives the biscuits structure and a tender, sturdy crumb.
- Substitute flour
- Adds bulk and flavour in place of part of the wheat flour, changing the texture and structure.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the oven, causing the dough to rise and become light.
- Shortening
- Stays solid when cut into flour, creating layers and a flaky, tender texture.
- Cold liquid
- Hydrates the flour to form a soft dough and supplies steam that helps the biscuits rise.
The step that matters
Quickly mix in the cold liquid. Overmixing develops gluten and toughens the biscuits. Mixing just until the dough comes together keeps them tender, and cold liquid keeps the fat solid so it creates flaky layers.
“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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