Why it works: Sugar and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 92,116 recipes. Both carry phenylacetaldehyde, which smells hawthorne, honey. The science ↓
Push-button Pizza Dough
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dough
Place warm water in food processor bowl.
Sprinkle yeast over, then add salt, 2 teaspoons oil and sugar. Process briefly to mix.
Let rest 1 minute.
Add 1 3/4 cups flour and process in two 4‑second bursts, waiting several seconds between each.
Process one more 4‑second burst, adding remaining 1 tablespoon flour with machine running.
Let dough rest 1 minute.
Knead and rise
Lightly oil medium bowl.
Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface; it will be somewhat sticky.
With floured hands, knead gently 30 to 45 seconds.
Place dough in oiled bowl, rotating to coat entire surface.
Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in warm spot to rise until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 ½ hours.
Proceed as directed in individual recipes.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 4 of 5 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| 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.
-
Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
-
Olive + flourtop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together16,871 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Olive + sugartop 35% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together12,483 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
Olive and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 12,483 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
- Active dry yeast
- Ferments the dough, producing gas that makes it rise until doubled.
- Unbleached all-purpose flour
- Forms the gluten network that gives the dough its elastic structure.
- Olive oil
- Adds fat that softens the dough and keeps it from drying out.
- Sugar
- Feeds the yeast and helps the dough brown lightly.
- Warm water
- Hydrates the flour and activates the yeast.
The step that matters
Process the flour in short bursts. Overmixing develops gluten too quickly and makes the dough tough. Short bursts with rests let the flour hydrate evenly and build a smooth, elastic dough.
“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.
You might also like
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Brown Bread461 recipes
Mutton Broth292 recipes
Yorkshire Pudding264 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.