Name: 4. Sour Milk Griddlecakes.
Ingredients: 2 tablespoonfuls sour milk 2 cups soda 1-1/4 teaspoonfuls egg 1 _method; 2 cups soda 1-1/4 teaspoonfuls egg 1 _method; 1-1/4 teaspoonfuls egg 1 _method; 2-1/2 cups salt 1/2 teaspoonful melted butter 2 tablespoonfuls sour milk 2 cups; 1/2 teaspoonful melted butter 2 tablespoonfuls sour milk 2 cups soda 1-1/4 teasp

Why it works: Milk and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓

4. Sour Milk Griddlecakes.

Ingredients

2 tablespoonfuls sour milk 2 cups soda 1-1/4 teaspoonfuls egg 1 _method
2 cups soda 1-1/4 teaspoonfuls egg 1 _method
1-1/4 teaspoonfuls egg 1 _method
2-1/2 cups salt 1/2 teaspoonful melted butter 2 tablespoonfuls sour milk 2 cups
1/2 teaspoonful melted butter 2 tablespoonfuls sour milk 2 cups soda 1-1/4 teasp

Directions

Make the batter

Mix dry ingredients.
Add sour milk, egg well beaten, and melted butter in order given. Beat thoroughly.

Cook the griddlecakes

Drop by spoonfuls on a greased griddle and let cook until the edges are cooked and the cake full of bubbles.
Turn with a cake turner or spatula knife and cook on the other side.

Serve

Serve with butter and syrup or scraped maple sugar.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

378Calories

14 gProtein

25 gFat

25 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 5 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Sour Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
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.

By Helen Kinne and Anna M. Cooley. Recipe from a historical cookbook (Project Gutenberg).

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.

Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together81,283 recipes

Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together118,967 recipes

Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together88,785 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

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

What each ingredient does

Sour milk: Provides liquid and acidity that reacts with the soda to lighten the batter.
Soda: Reacts with the sour milk's acid to release carbon dioxide, making the cakes rise.
Egg: Adds structure and richness, helping the batter hold its shape while cooking.
Melted butter: Adds fat for tenderness and a richer flavor in the finished cakes.

The step that matters

Turning the griddlecakes. Turn them only when the edges look cooked and the surface is full of bubbles. The bubbles are gas escaping as the batter sets; flipping earlier tears the still-soft center and can leave the cakes flat and doughy.

“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.

White Cake431 recipes

Pound Cake373 recipes

Orange Bundt Cake349 recipes

Spice Cake344 recipes

Like knowing why a recipe works?

The free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.

Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.

4. Sour Milk Griddlecakes.