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Dessert

Cornmeal Flapjacks

A batter of buttermilk, eggs, salt, soda, molasses, lard, flour, and cornmeal baked on a griddle.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
By Martin, Maria Ewing, Mrs., [from old catalog] comp · From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 6 ingredients
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Why it works: Buttermilk and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 25% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,986 recipes. Both carry 1-octen-3-ol, which smells mushroom, earthy. The science ↓

Cornmeal Flapjacks

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Mix 1 quart buttermilk (or sour milk) with 2 eggs beaten light, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon soda in hot water, 2 tablespoons molasses, 1 tablespoon melted lard, 1 cup flour, and enough cornmeal to make a batter a trifle thicker than for flannel cakes.

  2. Bake the batter on a griddle.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

391Calories
14 gProtein
26 gFat
25 gCarbs

Counts 5 of 6 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 5 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Lard1 tbsp (12.8g)115
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Waternot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By Martin, Maria Ewing, Mrs., [from old catalog] comp. Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

  1. Buttermilk + eggtop 25% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together2,986 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Eggs
Bind the batter and add structure as they set on the griddle.
Buttermilk
Provides moisture and acidity that reacts with the soda for lift.
Baking soda
Reacts with the acidic buttermilk to produce gas that lightens the flapjacks.
Flour (in the method)
Supplies gluten and starch that give the batter body alongside the cornmeal.
Cornmeal (in the method)
Gives the flapjacks their grainy texture and corn flavor.
Molasses (in the method)
Adds sweetness, depth of flavor, and some moisture that aids browning.

The step that matters

Adjusting the batter thickness with cornmeal. The batter should be a trifle thicker than for flannel cakes. Too thin and the flapjacks spread and turn out flat; cornmeal absorbs liquid and firms the batter so it holds its shape on the griddle.

“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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