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 ↓
Quick Puff Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
Stir one pint flour, which has been mixed with two teaspoons baking powder and a little salt, into milk until very soft.
Place the batter in well greased steamer cups.
Fill and steam
Put a spoonful of batter in each cup, then one berry (steamed apples, peaches, or raisins).
Cover with another spoonful of batter.
Steam for twenty minutes.
Make the sauce
Beat two eggs, one-half cup butter, and one cup sugar thoroughly with one cup boiling milk and one strawberry to make sauce.
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 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
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.
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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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + sugartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
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Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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
- Flour
- Forms the structure of the pudding as the batter sets during steaming.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the batter, helping the puddings rise and become light.
- Milk
- Supplies moisture and softens the flour into a very soft batter.
- Butter
- Adds richness and fat, giving the sauce a smooth, rounded texture.
- Eggs
- Thicken and enrich the sauce as they set with the hot milk.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness to the sauce and balances the richness of the butter and eggs.
The step that matters
Stirring the batter until very soft. Overmixing flour and liquid develops gluten, which makes the steamed pudding tough and dense rather than light. Stir only until the flour is evenly moistened.
“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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