Why it works: Milk and butter 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 ↓
Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Directions
Make the sponge
Make a yeast sponge by combining one-half yeast cake and one cup water, and let it rise overnight.
Make the dough
Warm one-half cup shortening, one-half butter, and one-half lard in the morning.
Add one pint milk, one-half cup sugar, and three beaten eggs to the warm fats.
Mix the wet ingredients with the yeast sponge.
Gradually add flour, beating well until the dough is stiff enough to handle with a spoon; let it rise.
Shape and bake
When the dough is light, spread butter, sugar, cinnamon, and currants on a bread board.
Roll the dough and cut into one-inch strips; let rise in pans.
Bake for ten to fifteen minutes.
When removed from the oven, spread butter, sugar, and cinnamon over the top.
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 |
| Lard | 1 tbsp (12.8g) | 115 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
| Cake | 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.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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.
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Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Milk + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Milk and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 77,875 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
- Yeast
- Makes the dough rise and gives it a light, airy texture.
- Eggs
- Add structure and richness to the dough.
- Shortening
- Adds fat that tenderizes the dough and keeps the crumb soft.
- Milk
- Adds moisture and richness to the dough.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the dough brown during baking.
- Flour (in the method)
- Forms the gluten structure that holds the dough together.
The step that matters
Letting the dough rise until light. Yeast needs time to produce gas and stretch the gluten; rolling or baking before the dough is properly risen leaves rolls dense and heavy.
“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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