Why it works: Flour and sugar 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 ↓
Pretzels
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dough
Dissolve the yeast in the water.
Mix in the salt, sugar, and flour.
Knead the dough until it is smooth.
Shape
Roll out (do not cut) a blob of dough until it is a rope about 18 inches long.
If a traditional shape is desired: Make a loop with the middle of the dough, crossing the dough over itself at about the 15% and 85% areas. Give this contact point a 180° twist, then flip it (and the ends) over toward the middle of the dough piece so that the ends overlap the more-central part at about the 45% and 55% areas.
Finish and bake
Brush the pretzel with egg.
Sprinkle coarse salt onto the egg.
Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 4 of 6 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Cake | 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 + sugartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
-
Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Flour and egg 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
- Flour
- Forms the gluten network that gives the dough its structure and chew.
- Yeast
- Ferments the dough so it rises and becomes light and airy.
- Egg white
- Brushed on top, it promotes browning and helps the coarse salt stick.
- Sugar
- Feeds the yeast and adds a little sweetness and browning.
The step that matters
Knead the dough until it is smooth. Kneading aligns and develops gluten, giving the dough elasticity so it holds its shape and stretches into a rope without tearing.
“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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