Why it works: Milk and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 78,219 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Grandma Vaughan's Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the dough
Scald milk and set aside.
Dissolve yeast in warm water.
Add the yeast mixture, sugar, salt, and margarine to the warm milk. Mix well.
Add the eggs and mix well.
Add the flour a cup at a time, mixing after each addition.
Turn the dough onto a flour-covered counter and knead for 10 minutes.
Place the dough in a large greased bowl and let rise for 20 minutes.
Shape and fill
Divide the risen dough into two small balls.
Roll each ball into a 9×12 inch rectangle.
Sprinkle the rectangles with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar.
Roll each rectangle into a roll and cut into individual rolls.
Place the rolls on a greased cookie sheet and let rise for 20 minutes.
Bake and finish
Bake in a 350-degree oven for 20 minutes.
After baking, spread margarine over the rolls.
Optionally ice the rolls with vanilla icing.
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 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| 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.
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Milk + flourtop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
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).
-
Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Milk + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Milk and flour 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
- Flour
- Forms the gluten network that gives the dough its structure and chew.
- Yeast
- Ferments the dough, producing gas that makes the rolls rise and become light.
- Eggs
- Add richness, tenderness and structure to the dough.
- Milk
- Adds moisture and softness, and its sugars help the crust brown.
- Sugar
- Feeds the yeast and adds sweetness and browning in the baked rolls.
- Margarine
- Adds fat that tenderizes the dough and gives the baked rolls a soft texture.
The step that matters
Adding the flour gradually and kneading. Adding flour a cup at a time lets the dough absorb it evenly without becoming stiff. Kneading develops gluten, which traps the gas from the yeast so the dough rises well.
“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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