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 ↓
Hartman Estate Fried Bread
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dough
Combine dry ingredients then cut in butter.
Add enough warm milk to make a soft dough easy to handle.
Knead on floured board until dough is very smooth and soft but elastic.
Divide dough into 8 balls and brush tops with melted butter.
Cover and let stand 45 minutes.
Fry and serve
Pat out each ball into a round 5 or 6 inches in diameter and 1/4 inch thick.
Fry in deep fat preheated to 365°F.
Dough should rise immediately to surface.
Cook until brown on one side then turn and brown on other side, being careful not to pierce crust.
Drain on absorbent paper and serve hot.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| 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.
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 + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + sugartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
-
Butter + sugartop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Flour and butter barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 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
- Provides the structure that the dough sets around as it fries.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the dough, so the bread puffs and rises when fried.
- Butter
- Adds richness and tenderness by coating flour particles and shortening the dough.
- Warm milk
- Hydrates the flour to form an elastic dough and adds browning sugars and richness.
- Sugar
- Adds a little sweetness and helps the surface brown evenly in the hot fat.
The step that matters
Keeping the crust intact while frying. Piercing the surface lets the trapped gas and steam escape, so the bread stops puffing and turns dense. Turn each round gently and only when the first side is browned.
“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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