Why it works: Butter and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓
Moscow Ponchiki
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dough
Add cinnamon and baking powder to flour.
Sift the mixture into a bowl.
Beat up eggs with sugar, add soft butter and mix in milk.
While stirring, add flour gradually.
Knead stiff dough.
Shape and fry
Roll out dough 1/5 inch thick.
Make rounds with a cup, then make rounds on the rounds with a smaller diameter.
Ponchiki must have a form of rings.
Warm oil in the pan.
Put 2-3 rings at a time in hot oil, fry until light golden.
Sprinkle baked cookies with powdered cinnamon.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Cinnamon | 1 tsp ground (2.6g) | 6 |
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.
-
Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Flour + cinnamontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,341 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Milk + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,655 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
-
Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together30,779 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Sugar and cinnamon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 30,779 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
- Flour
- Forms the structure of the dough once mixed with liquid and kneaded.
- Eggs
- Bind the dough and add structure and richness to the pancakes.
- Butter
- Adds fat for tenderness and flavor in the dough.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas that helps the dough rise and become lighter.
- Milk
- Adds moisture that hydrates the flour and softens the dough.
The step that matters
Frying the rings in hot oil. Oil that is not hot enough lets the dough soak up grease and turn heavy, while oil that is too hot browns the outside before the centre cooks. Frying only 2-3 rings at a time keeps the oil temperature steady.
“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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