Why it works: Butter and flour 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 ↓
Very Good Light Paste
Ingredients
Directions
Make the paste
Mix with a pound of sifted flour, six ounces of fresh pure lard, and make them into a smooth paste with cold water.
Press the buttermilk from ten ounces of butter, and form it into a ball by twisting it in a clean cloth.
Laminate
Roll out the paste, put the ball of butter in the middle, close it like an apple-dumpling, and roll it very lightly until it is less than an inch thick.
Fold the ends into the middle, dust a little flour over the board and paste-roller, and roll the paste thin a second time.
Set it aside for three or four minutes in a very cool place.
Give it two more turns after it has again been left for a few minutes, roll it out twice more, folding it each time in three.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 2 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
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.
-
Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Butter and flour 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 structure of the paste that holds the layers together.
- Lard (in the method)
- Adds tenderness and shortness by coating flour particles and limiting gluten development.
- Butter
- Forms the separate fat layers that create flakiness when the dough is folded and rolled.
The step that matters
Keeping the paste and butter cold while rolling. If the fat softens and blends into the dough, the layers are lost and the pastry turns dense rather than flaky. Chilling between turns keeps the butter in distinct sheets that steam apart in the oven.
“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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