Why it works: Flour and milk 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 ↓
Unleavened Biscuit
Ingredients
Directions
Mix five cups of graham flour, one quart of water, and a little warm white of one g-, well beaten. Bake in a quick oven in small tins.
Mix one cup of milk, one pint of flour, cream tartar in flour or three teaspoons of baking powder, a lump of lard the size of an egg, and three teaspoons of cream tartar to one of soda. Dissolve the soda in a little hot water and stir it in after mixing, using a spoon entirely.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 6 of 7 ingredients. The other 1 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 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| 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.
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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Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Milk + creamtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together29,399 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Flour + creamtop 20% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together30,481 recipes
Shared aroma: acetaldehyde (pungent, ethereal).
Flour and milk 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
- Graham flour
- Forms the main body of the biscuit and gives it a coarse, hearty structure.
- Flour
- Adds gluten-forming structure so the dough holds its shape when baked.
- Lard
- Adds fat that tenderises the crumb and keeps the biscuit from toughening.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acid in cream of tartar to produce gas that lifts the dough.
- Cream of tartar
- Supplies acid that reacts with the soda, producing gas for rising and a lighter texture.
- Milk
- Adds moisture and richness, helping the dough bind and brown in the oven.
The step that matters
Dissolving the soda and stirring it in. Baking soda needs moisture and an acid to react and release gas. Dissolving it first and stirring it in evenly spreads the reaction through the dough, so the biscuits rise evenly rather than in patches.
“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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