Why it works: Cream and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 20% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 30,481 recipes. Both carry acetaldehyde, which smells pungent, ethereal. The science ↓
Baking- Powder
Ingredients
Directions
Mix the leavening
Combine one pound carbinate soda, one pound cream of tartar, and one pound pulverized alum.
Rub the mixture through a sieve at least four times.
Add flour and store
Add three pounds of flour to the mixture.
Rub the combined mixture through a sieve at least four times.
Store the finished baking powder in a dry container.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| 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.
-
Cream + flourtop 20% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together30,481 recipes
Shared aroma: acetaldehyde (pungent, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Carbinate soda
- Provides the alkaline base that releases carbon dioxide gas when it meets an acid, lifting baked goods.
- Cream of tartar
- Acts as an acid that reacts with the soda to produce gas for rising.
- Pulverized alum
- Serves as a second acid that reacts with the soda, helping the gas release in the dough.
- Flour
- Acts as a dry filler that keeps the acid and alkali apart until the powder is mixed into dough.
The step that matters
Sieving the combined mixture. Sieving at least four times blends the soda and acids evenly. Uneven distribution leaves pockets of gas-producing reaction, which can cause patchy rising and bitter or soapy spots in the finished bake.
“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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