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 ↓
Bath Buns
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dough
Boil a little saffron in sufficient water to cover it until the liquid turns bright yellow; strain and set aside to cool.
Rub half a pound of fresh butter into a pound of sifted flour, then mix in four well-beaten eggs and a large wine glass of the best and strongest yeast, adding the saffron infusion to color the dough yellow.
Place the dough in a pan, cover with a cloth, and set it before the fire to rise.
When the dough is light, stir in a quarter of a pound of powdered and sifted loaf sugar, grated nutmeg, and, if desired, two or three spoonfuls of caraway seeds.
Shape and bake
Roll the dough into a thick sheet and cut into round cakes with a cutter.
Sprinkle caraway confits over the tops of each bun and bake on flat tins that have been well buttered.
Serve
Serve the buns the same day they are baked, as they are best when fresh.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 3 of 4 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Seed | 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.
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Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
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).
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
- Sifted flour
- Provides the structure that holds the dough and buns together as they rise.
- Fresh butter
- Adds fat for richness and a tender crumb in the finished buns.
- Eggs
- Add structure and richness, and help bind the dough.
- Yeast (in the method)
- Produces gas that makes the dough rise and become light.
- Loaf sugar (in the method)
- Adds sweetness and helps the dough brown lightly in the oven.
- Caraway seeds
- Add a warm, aromatic flavor to the buns.
The step that matters
Let the dough rise until light before shaping. Yeast gives off gas that the gluten network traps, so the dough grows airy. Shaping or baking before it is fully risen gives dense buns.
“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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