Why it works: Milk and romano cheese share more aroma than cooks usually use. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and 52 recipes mention both. Both carry ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, which smells fruity, apple. The science ↓
The recipe
Ingredients
Contains: milk, wheat (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Directions
Make the dough
Cream butter and flour until smooth.
Add cheese and breadcrumbs.
Blend in milk to form a smooth dough, adding more crumbs if the dough is too wet.
Shape and chill
Lay a large piece of plastic wrap on the counter, then place the dough on the plastic wrap.
Cover with another piece of plastic.
Roll dough out until it is about 18x8 inches.
Chill until firm, about 1 hour.
Cut and bake
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
Use a sharp knife to cut dough into strips 4x1/4-inch thick.
Arrange dough strips on the baking sheet, and sprinkle with Romano cheese.
Bake until brown, for 20 to 25 minutes.
Remove from oven, and store or serve.
This recipe comes from the Recipes Wiki on Fandom and is licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Our formatting and summaries are shared under the same licence.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Milk + romano cheesetop 7% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together52 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
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Cheese + romano cheesetop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together38 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
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Butter + milktop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together81,222 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Butter + cheesetop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together7,955 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Cheese + milktop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together4,424 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Unsalted butter
- Creams with the flour to give the dough richness and a tender, short texture.
- All-purpose flour
- Provides the structure that holds the dough together once rolled and cut.
- Monterey jack cheese
- Adds melting richness and flavor, and helps bind the dough.
- Fresh breadcrumbs
- Absorb moisture and add body, giving the dough a lighter, less sticky texture.
- Milk
- Hydrates the flour and crumbs so the dough comes together smoothly.
The step that matters
Chill until firm before cutting. Cold dough is firm enough to roll thinly and cut clean strips. Warm, soft dough stretches and tears, and the fat softens and spreads in the oven, so the straws lose their shape.
“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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