Name: Mom's Perfect Bran Muffins
Ingredients: 4 large eggs; 1 Quart buttermilk; 5 Cups white flour; 2 Cups sugar; 5 Tsp baking Soda; 2 Tsp salt; 1 Cup vegetable oil; 1 20 oz package of Raisin Bran

Why it works: Flour and raisin match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,075 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓

Mom's Perfect Bran Muffins

Time20 to 30 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Make the batter

Beat the eggs in a large bowl.
Add flour, sugar, soda, salt.
Mix in oil and raisin bran.
Cover bowl and allow batter to set for 24 hours.

Bake

Stir, spoon into paper cups in muffin tins (¾ full).
Bake about 20 to 30 minutes depending on size of muffins.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

935Calories

28 gProtein

28 gFat

142 gCarbs

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
Raisin	1 small box (28g)	85
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

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 + raisintop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together9,075 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Buttermilk + flourtop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,721 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Buttermilk + sugartop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,973 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Sugar + raisintop 13% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together12,481 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Flour + sugartop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together92,116 recipes

Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Eggs: Bind the batter and add structure as the muffins set.
Buttermilk: Adds moisture and acidity that works with the baking soda to help the muffins rise.
White flour: Provides the main structure of the muffin crumb.
Baking soda: Reacts with the acidic buttermilk to produce gas that lifts the batter.
Vegetable oil: Adds fat for a tender, moist crumb.
Raisin bran: Adds bran fiber and texture, and its moisture is absorbed into the batter during resting.

The step that matters

Resting the batter for 24 hours. The batter must sit covered so the bran and flour fully hydrate and the soda and buttermilk react. Stirring and baking without this rest can give a denser, less even muffin.

“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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Mom's Perfect Bran Muffins