Why it works: Tea and milk work together. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 738 recipes. Both carry 4-heptenal, which smells creamy, biscuit. The science ↓
Philadelphia Rolls
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dough
Rub one-half tablespoon lard into one quart of flour.
Make a well in the middle.
Put in one-half cup of baker's yeast — or one cup of homemade — two teaspoons sugar, one-half pint cold boiled milk.
Do not stir it, and let it stand overnight.
In the morning, knead well.
After dinner, knead again.
Shape and bake
Combine one and a half quarts of flour, one egg, and enough yeast to raise.
When risen, shape into a loaf.
Let it stand until light.
Roll out thin.
Spread with butter.
Fold and cut out.
Put in pans.
Let rise until tea time.
When very light, bake.
Bake in a quick oven.
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 |
| Lard | 1 tbsp (12.8g) | 115 |
| 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.
-
Tea + milktop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together738 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-heptenal (creamy, biscuit).
-
Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + sugartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
-
Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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
- Flour
- Forms the gluten network that gives the rolls their structure.
- Baker's yeast
- Produces gas during fermentation, which makes the dough rise and become light.
- Lard
- Rubbed into the flour, it tenderises the crumb and adds richness.
- Cold boiled milk
- Supplies moisture that hydrates the flour and helps form the dough.
- Egg
- Adds richness and helps bind the dough.
- Sugar
- Feeds the yeast and adds sweetness and browning to the crust.
The step that matters
Let the dough rise fully before shaping and baking. Yeast needs time to produce enough gas for the dough to become light. Shaping or baking too early leaves a dense roll, while over-proofing can cause the structure to collapse.
“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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