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 ↓
World Recipe French Bread
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the dough
Mix the yeast in warm water.
Let stand 5 minutes and stir.
Pour the boiling water over the shortening, salt, and sugar and mix well.
Add 3/4 cup of cold water and cool to lukewarm (about 105°-115°F).
Add the yeast.
Gradually mix in enough flour to form a stiff dough.
Turn out on a floured board and knead until smooth and shiny.
Put in a greased bowl and turn to grease the top.
Cover and let rise 1 1/2 hours until the dough doubles.
Shape and bake
Shape the dough into two oblong loaves, about 14 inches long.
Put them on a greased cookie sheet and let rise 1 hour.
Brush loaves with the beaten egg whites.
With a knife make three slashes on each loaf.
Bake at 425°F for 30 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350°F and bake 20 minutes.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 5 of 6 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| 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.
-
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).
-
Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Egg and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 106,462 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
- Forms the gluten network that gives the dough its structure and chew.
- Yeast
- Ferments the dough so it rises and becomes airy.
- Egg white
- Brushed on the loaves to give a glossy, browned crust.
- Shortening
- Adds fat that softens the crumb and tenderizes the bread.
- Sugar
- Feeds the yeast and helps the crust brown.
The step that matters
Cool the liquid to lukewarm before adding the yeast. Yeast is killed by very hot liquid, while cold liquid slows fermentation. Lukewarm water, around 105°-115°F, keeps the yeast active so the dough rises properly.
“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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