Why it works: Sugar and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 21% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 122,807 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Sally Lunn
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
Cream three tablespoons of sugar and three tablespoons of butter together.
Beat three eggs well and add them to the butter and sugar mixture.
Add one pint of milk.
Dissolve half a yeast cake in three tablespoons of tepid water, or add two tablespoonsful of yeast.
Add about one quart of flour and one teaspoon of salt.
Beat well.
Rise and bake
Let rise overnight or all day.
Bake in an old-fashioned Turk's head.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 4 of 6 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| 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.
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.
-
Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 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
- Eggs
- Add structure and richness to the batter as they set during baking.
- Yeast
- Produces gas that makes the batter rise and gives the bread its light, airy crumb.
- Flour (in the method)
- Forms the gluten network that traps gas and gives the bread its structure.
- Butter (in the method)
- Adds fat that softens the crumb and enriches the flavor.
- Milk (in the method)
- Adds moisture and richness, helping the crumb stay soft.
The step that matters
Let rise overnight or all day. The yeast needs enough time to ferment and build gas. Rising too briefly leaves the bread dense, while the dough needs to stay warm enough for the yeast to stay active.
“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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