Gluten-free Buttermilk Cornbread

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

   Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

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

   Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

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

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

4. Flour + sugartop 15% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together92,116 recipes

   Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).

5. Milk + olivetop 15% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together5,828 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2-undecenal (sweet).

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

Gluten free flour

Provides the bulk and structure that wheat flour would normally supply in the batter.

Eggs

Bind the batter and add structure and richness as they set in the oven.

Buttermilk

Adds moisture and acidity, which reacts with the leavening to help the cornbread rise.

Baking powder

Releases gas in the batter to make the cornbread rise and become light.

Baking soda

Reacts with the acidic buttermilk to produce gas, helping the cornbread rise.

Olive oil

Adds fat that keeps the cornbread moist and tender.

The step that matters