Why it works: Butter and bread are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 27,232 recipes. Both carry delta-decalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
Ginger Crullers
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dough
In a bowl, combine one cup New Orleans molasses, two eggs, one-half cup sweet milk, one tablespoonful melted butter, one teaspoonful of bread, 19 ginger, and cinnamon.
Add two teaspoonfuls Star Crystal Baking Powder and one teaspoonful salt, then add flour until the dough is soft enough to handle.
Fry and coat
Fry the dough as usual.
Roll the fried dough in powdered sugar as soon as it is done.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Molasses | 1 tbsp (20g) | 58 |
| Ginger | 1 tsp grated fresh (2g) | 2 |
| 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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Butter + breadtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,232 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Milk + breadtop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together11,466 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-undecenal (sweet).
-
Bread + eggtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together22,662 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
-
Molasses + gingertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,116 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- New orleans molasses
- Adds sweetness, moisture and a deep, rich flavour to the dough.
- Eggs
- Bind the dough and give the crullers structure as they set.
- Sweet milk
- Adds moisture and softness to the dough.
- Melted butter
- Adds fat, which tenderises the dough and adds richness.
- Star crystal baking powder
- Releases gas that lifts the dough, giving the crullers a lighter texture.
The step that matters
Roll the fried dough in powdered sugar as soon as it is done. The sugar sticks best to a warm, slightly oily surface straight from the fryer. If the crullers cool first, the sugar will not adhere evenly.
Swap the ginger
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (molasses, milk, butter, bread, egg):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Nutmegfits better
- Clovefits about as well
- Gingerthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against molasses, milk, butter, bread, egg. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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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