Why it works: Flour and wheat are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 12% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,373 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Farmhouse Rolls
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dough
Pour boiling water over shortening in large bowl; let stand until lukewarm.
Using wooden spoon, beat egg, sugar, salt and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour into shortening.
Beat in yeast until blended.
Beat in both flours, 1/2 cup at a time, alternating between all-purpose and whole wheat flour, until dough is stiff and does not cling to sides of bowl.
Turn dough onto floured surface, and knead in any remaining flour.
Knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
Place dough in large oiled bowl, turning to coat.
Let rise in warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/4 hours.
Refrigerate dough to rise more slowly, at least 4 hours or overnight.
Shape the rolls
Preheat oven to 350F.
Punch dough down, and turn onto lightly floured surface.
Using floured rolling pin, roll dough out to about 1/2-inch thick.
Use 3-inch round biscuit or cookie cutter to cut circles.
Repeat until dough is used up.
Brush each circle with butter.
Fold in half, gently pressing edges together to close. Do not pinch edges to seal.
Place rolls on large ungreased baking sheet.
Cover loosely with plastic wrap.
Let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Rolls can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours to rise before baking.
Bake and serve
Bake 17 to 20 minutes, until slightly browned.
Cool slightly on baking sheet.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 6 of 7 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Vegetable | 1 tbsp (14g) | 120 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 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.
-
Flour + wheattop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,373 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Wheat + buttertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,002 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
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).
Flour and butter 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
- All-purpose flour
- Provides the gluten structure that lets the dough stretch and hold its shape.
- Whole wheat flour
- Adds a denser, nuttier texture and more body to the dough.
- Egg
- Adds richness and helps bind the dough for a tender crumb.
- Rapid-rise yeast
- Produces carbon dioxide gas that makes the dough rise and become light.
- Vegetable shortening
- Adds fat that tenderizes the crumb and keeps the rolls soft.
- Sugar
- Feeds the yeast and promotes gentle browning in the baked rolls.
The step that matters
Folding without pinching the edges. Pinching seals the edges tightly and restricts the dough's expansion; leaving them loose lets the rolls rise fully during the second proof and bake up light.
“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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