Why it works: Flour and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 12% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Parker House Rolls
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dough
Sift two cups of flour with half a teaspoonful of salt and one teaspoonful of sugar.
Add a cup of tepid water in which a cake of compressed yeast has been dissolved, and two tablespoonfuls of melted butter.
Break in one egg.
Add flour enough to make a soft dough.
Knead well, beating the dough upon the board.
Set to rise in a warm place.
Shape and rise
When light, knead again, adding only enough flour to keep from sticking to the board.
Roll out about half an inch thick.
Cut with a biscuit-cutter.
Brush with melted butter.
Fold in half and set to rise again.
Set the rolls for rising at appropriate times; use half a yeast cake for breakfast.
Shape into small oblong rolls for afternoon teas.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 5 of 7 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
| Cake | 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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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 + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 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).
-
Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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
- Flour
- Forms the gluten network that gives the dough its structure and chew.
- Compressed yeast
- Produces gas as it ferments, making the dough rise and become light.
- Melted butter
- Adds fat that tenderizes the crumb and enriches the flavor and browning.
- Egg
- Adds structure and richness, helping the dough hold its shape and softness.
- Sugar
- Feeds the yeast and adds a touch of sweetness and browning.
The step that matters
Knead well, then let the dough rise until light. Kneading develops gluten so the dough can trap the yeast's gas; rising until light gives the rolls their airy texture. Adding too much flour during the second kneading makes the rolls dense and dry.
“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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