Name: Country Ham and Cheddar Pretzel Bites with Jalapeño Mustard
Yield: Makes 4 dozen hors d’oeuvres or snacks
Ingredients: 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast; 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon packed light brown sugar, divided; 1/4 cup warm water (110-115°F); 1 cup warm milk (110-115°F); 2 1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour; 1/2 cup finely chopped country ham (3 oz; preferably Newsom’s or Benton’s), divided; 1/3 cup finely chopped sharp Cheddar, divided; 6 cups water; 4 teaspoons baking soda; 1/2 cup Dijon mustard; 2 tablespoons finely chopped seeded fresh jalapeños; 1 tablespoon mild honey; 1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted; 1 to 2 tablespoons pretzel salt or coarse salt

Why it works: Milk and butter 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 ↓

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.

Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together81,283 recipes

Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
Milk + honeytop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,336 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity).
Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together124,287 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour + mustardtop 13% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together5,066 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Honey + buttertop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,327 recipes

Shared aroma: anethole (sweet, anise).

Flour and butter 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

Swap the mustard

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, milk, flour, ham, honey, butter):

Arrowrootfits about as well
Sweet potatofits about as well
Mustardthe original
Potatofits about as well

Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, milk, flour, ham, honey, butter. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Pork	100g cooked	242
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Cheddar Cheese	1 oz (28g)	113
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Honey	1 tbsp (21g)	64
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Mustard	1 tsp (5g) yellow	3
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Water	not in our table	0

Country Ham and Cheddar Pretzel Bites with Jalapeño Mustard