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 ↓
Irish Tea Bread
Ingredients
Directions
Soak the fruit
Chop dried fruit to raisin-size pieces.
Brew tea in hot water.
Combine brewed tea and chopped fruit in a bowl.
Let the mixture soak for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
Make the batter
Preheat oven to 360°F (175°C).
Add sugar, beaten egg, and melted butter to the soaked mixture.
Sieve flour and baking soda, then fold into the wet mixture.
Line the bottom of a loaf pan with parchment or greaseproof paper.
Pour batter into the loaf pan and smooth the top.
Bake and serve
Bake for 1½ hours.
Remove the loaf from the pan.
Cool the loaf, or serve warm.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 4 of 7 ingredients. The other 3 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Tea | not in our table | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
| Fruit | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
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.
-
Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
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).
-
Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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
- Dried fruit
- Adds moisture and sweetness, and softens as it soaks in the tea.
- Strong tea
- Provides moisture and a deep, tannic flavour while softening the fruit.
- Brown sugar
- Adds sweetness and molasses flavour, and helps the crumb brown.
- Egg
- Binds the batter and gives structure to the crumb as it bakes.
- All-purpose flour
- Forms the structure of the loaf as its proteins set during baking.
- Bicarbonate of soda
- Reacts with the acidic tea and dried fruit to release gas, helping the loaf rise.
The step that matters
Soak the fruit fully. Soaking lets the fruit absorb tea and swell, so it stays moist instead of drawing moisture from the crumb during baking. The soak is what keeps the loaf moist.
“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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