Why it works: Sugar and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 92,116 recipes. Both carry phenylacetaldehyde, which smells hawthorne, honey. The science ↓
Light Rolls
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a fairly hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the dough
Prepare a sponge with 1 cup of liquid until light.
Add 2 tablespoons of melted shortening, 1 to 2 tablespoons of sugar, and 1 well-beaten egg if desired.
Mix in enough flour to form a dough that is not too stiff.
Let the dough rise again or shape it into balls the size of an egg.
Shape and bake
Place the balls close together for soft rolls or apart for crusty rolls.
Allow to rise in the pan until tripled in size.
Bake in a preheated oven at 400°F (200°C) for 25 to 35 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.
-
Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
-
Egg + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Egg and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 106,462 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
- Liquid
- Hydrates the flour and forms the sponge that starts the dough.
- Melted shortening
- Adds fat, which tenderizes the crumb and softens the rolls.
- Sugar
- Feeds the yeast and adds sweetness and gentle browning.
- Egg
- Adds structure and richness to the dough.
- Flour
- Forms the gluten network that gives the rolls their structure.
The step that matters
Shaping the balls for soft or crusty rolls. Placing the balls close together gives them support and softer sides as they rise and bake, while spacing them apart exposes more surface to dry heat for a crustier finish. Spacing must match the result you want.
“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.
You might also like
Cornbread345 recipes
Bread Pudding336 recipes
Milk Bread Rolls242 recipes
Potato Bread124 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.