Why it works: Milk and vanilla are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19,187 recipes. Both carry ethyl caproate, which smells fruity, apple peel. The science ↓
Christmas Bread
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the yeast and milk mixture
Mix yeast, water and 1 tablespoon sugar.
Put 1 quart of milk in a pot. Add ½ cup sugar and ½ pound butter.
Scald; don't boil. Take off stove to cool to lukewarm.
Make the dough
Beat eggs; add remaining butter and sugar. Mix well.
Put flour in pan. Mix well.
Add vanilla extract, egg mixture, milk mixture, yeast and salt.
Knead until it falls off your hands.
Rise and bake
Let stand until it doubles in size. Punch down. Let rise again.
Put in five or six pans and let rise again.
Bake at 375 °F for ½ an hour. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake about ½ hour longer.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 7 of 9 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Vanilla | 1 tsp extract (4ml) | 12 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Cake | not in our table | 0 |
| Water | 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.
-
Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,187 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
-
Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + vanillatop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,241 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 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
- Flour
- Forms the gluten network that gives the bread its structure.
- Yeast
- Ferments sugars to produce gas, so the dough rises and becomes light.
- Eggs
- Add structure and richness, and help give the crumb a tender texture.
- Butter
- Adds fat for a softer crumb and richer flavour.
- Milk
- Adds moisture and richness, and helps soften the crumb.
- Sugar
- Feeds the yeast and adds sweetness and browning in the crust.
The step that matters
Knead until it falls off your hands. Kneading develops the gluten network that traps the gas from the yeast. Under-kneaded dough rises poorly and bakes up dense.
Swap the vanilla
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, butter, milk, sugar, egg):
- Vanillathe original
- Raisinfits about as well
- Figfits less well
- Coconutfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against flour, butter, milk, sugar, egg. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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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