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 ↓
Graham Muffins
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point. The book gives no cooking times either; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Make the batter
In a large bowl, combine molasses, sugar, and lard or butter until well mixed.
Add eggs and milk, mixing thoroughly.
Dissolve the yeast in a small amount of warm water and add to the mixture.
Stir in the coarse sea salt, graham flour, and white flour until a smooth batter forms.
Let the batter rise until doubled in size.
Bake
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Spoon the batter into muffin tins and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
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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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Molasses + sugartop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Milk + flourtop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
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
- White flour
- Provides the main gluten structure that holds the risen muffins together.
- Graham flour
- Adds bran and a coarser texture, giving the muffins a nutty, hearty crumb.
- Eggs
- Add structure and richness, helping the batter set during baking.
- Lard or butter
- Adds fat for tenderness and moisture, and a rich flavor.
- Fleischmann's yeast
- Produces gas that makes the batter rise before baking.
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness, dark color, and moisture, and promotes browning.
The step that matters
Let the batter rise until doubled in size. Yeast needs enough time to produce gas and expand the gluten network; underproofed batter bakes dense, while overproofed batter can collapse and turn coarse.
“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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