Why it works: Cream and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 41,516 recipes. Both carry delta-dodecalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
Graham Biscuit
makes a dozenIngredients
Directions
Make the batter
Mix one cup white flour, three of Graham, three of sweet milk, two tablespoons lard, one of sugar, a pinch of salt, two teaspoons cream tartar and one of soda; bake like white flour biscuit.
Beat one egg well, add a pinch of salt, one quart butter or sour milk, and flour enough to make a stiff batter.
Add one of soda and stir thoroughly with a spoon.
Prepare the pans
Heat and grease gem-irons (pans).
Fill and bake
After dipping the spoon in cold water, drop a spoonful of batter in each pan, repeating until all are filled.
Bake in a quick oven for half an hour. This measure will make a dozen.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Lard | 1 tbsp (12.8g) | 115 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 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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Cream + buttertop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Flour + creamtop 20% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together30,481 recipes
Shared aroma: acetaldehyde (pungent, ethereal).
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
- White flour
- Provides the structure that holds the biscuit together.
- Lard
- Adds fat that makes the texture tender and crumbly.
- Cream tartar
- Acidic ingredient that reacts with soda to help the biscuits rise.
- Butter
- Adds fat and richness, contributing flavour and a tender crumb.
- Egg
- Binds the batter and adds structure and richness.
The step that matters
Adding the soda and stirring thoroughly. Soda reacts with the acid in cream tartar to produce gas that lifts the biscuits. It must be evenly distributed through the batter, or pockets will form uneven rise and texture. Baking soon after mixing keeps that gas from escaping.
“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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