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 ↓
Self-rising Washington Flour Doughnuts
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dough
Cream the butter until soft but not melted.
Add sugar and blend well.
Add well-beaten eggs.
Add nutmeg to the flour.
Add the flour to the first mixture alternately with the milk.
Turn the dough out onto a floured board.
Cut and fry
Cut.
Cook in deep fat hot enough to make a doughnut rise to the surface quickly and brown each side for about 1 minute.
Finish
If you want to add a few more calories, put sugar and nutmeg or cinnamon in a bag and sprinkle on some doughnuts.
Shake or smear some good chocolate on top.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
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 |
| Nutmeg | 1 tsp ground (2.2g) | 12 |
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).
-
Nutmeg + flourtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,623 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
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).
Butter and flour 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
- Butter
- Adds fat and richness, giving the dough a tender crumb.
- Eggs
- Bind the dough and add structure and richness.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the doughnuts brown as they fry.
- Self-rising flour
- Forms the dough's structure and, with its built-in leavening, helps the doughnuts rise.
- Milk
- Provides moisture that hydrates the flour and softens the dough.
The step that matters
Cook in deep fat hot enough to make a doughnut rise to the surface quickly. If the fat is too cool, doughnuts absorb excess oil and turn greasy and heavy. If it is too hot, the outside browns before the centre cooks. Holding the fat at a steady frying temperature gives a light, evenly cooked doughnut.
Swap the nutmeg
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, egg, sugar, milk, flour):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Nutmegthe original
- Jalapenofits less well
- Capersfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, egg, sugar, milk, flour. 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.
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