Why it works: Flour and buttermilk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,721 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Buttermilk Bread
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
In a pressure cooker, place the rack.
Make the batter
Combine egg and sugar.
Sift flour, soda, and baking powder.
Add buttermilk alternately with the sifted dry ingredients, then mix well.
Add nuts and stuff.
Steam and cool
Turn into a buttered bowl and cover with wax paper.
Place the bowl in the cooker on the rack with water.
Place the cover on the cooker.
Steam without the pressure weight for 15 minutes.
Then cook at the cook position for 25 minutes.
Allow to cool naturally.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 6 of 8 ingredients. The other 2 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 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Date | 1 date (24g) medjool | 66 |
| Grape | 1/2 cup (76g) | 62 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Nut | not in our table | 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.
-
Flour + buttermilktop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,721 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Sugar + buttermilktop 9% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,973 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
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).
-
Flour + datestop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together675 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, 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
- Egg
- Binds the batter and adds structure as it sets.
- Flour
- Provides the main structure of the bread.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas to lift the batter as it heats.
- Soda
- Reacts with the buttermilk's acidity to help the bread rise.
- Buttermilk
- Adds acidity for the soda reaction and moisture for a tender crumb.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps keep the crumb moist.
The step that matters
Steaming without the pressure weight. Steam must circulate around the bowl while the batter rises and sets. Trapping pressure too early can make the bread dense or gummy, so the weight stays off for the first 15 minutes.
Swap the dates
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, sugar, flour, buttermilk):
- Raisinfits better
- Vanillafits better
- Lemonfits better
- Datesthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, sugar, flour, buttermilk. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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
Cornbread345 recipes
Bread Pudding336 recipes
Milk Bread Rolls242 recipes
Potato Bread124 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.