Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes

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.

1. Wheat + milktop 6% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together2,418 recipes

   Shared aroma: (e,z)-2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, melon).

2. Flour + buttermilktop 8% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together3,721 recipes

   Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

3. Sugar + buttermilktop 9% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together2,973 recipes

   Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

4. Wheat + flourtop 12% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together4,373 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

5. Flour + milktop 14% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together78,219 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

Flour and milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 78,219 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

Whole wheat flour and white flour

Form the structure of the pancake, with whole wheat adding a nuttier, denser body.

Egg

Binds the batter and adds structure as it sets on the griddle.

Buttermilk

Adds acidity that reacts with the baking soda to lift the batter and add tang.

Baking powder

Releases gas in the batter to make the pancakes rise and turn light.

Baking soda

Reacts with the acidic buttermilk to produce gas and help the pancakes rise.

Vegetable oil

Adds fat for tenderness and helps keep the pancakes moist.

The step that matters