Why it works: Milk and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 78,219 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
English Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
Combine one cup molasses, one-half cup butter, one cup sweet milk, one teaspoon soda, three and one-half cups flour, one teaspoon spices, one cup chopped raisins, and one-half cup currants and citron.
Steam and serve
Steam for two or three hours.
Serve with sweet 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 |
| Grape | 1/2 cup (76g) | 62 |
| Molasses | 1 tbsp (20g) | 58 |
| 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.
-
Milk + flourtop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Molasses + flourtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,429 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Milk + curranttop 16% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together5,475 recipes
Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, pear).
-
Molasses + curranttop 21% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,817 recipes
-
Molasses + milktop 21% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together7,243 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Milk and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 78,219 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
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness, dark colour, and moisture to the batter.
- Soda
- Reacts with the acidic molasses to release gas that helps the pudding rise.
- Flour
- Provides the structure that holds the pudding together as it sets.
- Butter (in the method)
- Adds fat that makes the pudding tender and rich.
- Sweet milk
- Supplies liquid that hydrates the flour and keeps the batter moist.
The step that matters
Steam for the full two to three hours. Steam cooks and sets the batter gently. If the water boils dry or the steam drops too low, the centre may stay underdone and dense, so the pot should be kept steadily steaming throughout.
Swap the currant
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (molasses, milk, flour):
- Raisinfits better
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits better
- Currantthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against molasses, 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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