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 ↓
Jam Patties
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the dough
Mix 2 ounces of butter with ¼ pound of flour, a pinch of salt, and 2 teaspoons of sugar in a bowl.
Combine the egg yolk with 2 tablespoons of cold water and moisten the flour mixture.
Roll out the dough twice, spreading 1 ounce of butter on it each time, and dust with flour.
Fold the dough into a roll and let it rest in a cool place for 1‑2 hours.
Shape the patties
Roll out the dough again to ½ inch thick and cut out 14 small rounds.
Use a smaller cutter to stamp through 6 of the rounds, creating a ring.
Place a pastry ring on each whole round, moistening it with water to adhere.
Bake and fill
Bake the patties in a 400°F (200°C) oven for 10 minutes.
While warm, fill the patties with jam and top with a small baked ornament.
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.
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).
-
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).
-
Butter + sugartop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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
- Butter
- Its fat is worked into the dough, creating flaky layers and a tender, rich texture.
- Flour
- Forms the structure of the dough once moistened, setting as the patties bake.
- Egg yolk
- Adds richness and helps bind the dough, contributing color and tenderness.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the crust brown lightly in the oven.
The step that matters
Resting the dough. Chilling the dough in a cool place relaxes the gluten and firms the butter, so the dough rolls easily and bakes with flaky, tender layers rather than shrinking or becoming tough.
“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.
You might also like
White Cake431 recipes
Pound Cake373 recipes
Orange Bundt Cake349 recipes
Spice Cake344 recipesThe 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.