Why it works: Butter and milk 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 ↓
Boiled Batter Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
Sift together the flour and baking powder in a deep dish.
Sprinkle in the salt and add the melted butter.
Gradually stir in the milk until smooth.
Beat the eggs separately and add them to the mixture.
Add enough more flour to make a very stiff batter.
If desired, stir in the berries or sliced fruit.
Boil and serve
Boil for two hours.
Serve with cream and sugar, wine sauce, or any sweet sauce.
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.
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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Flour and butter 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 pudding as the batter sets when cooked.
- Eggs
- Bind the batter and help it set firm as it cooks.
- Milk
- Hydrates the flour and gives the batter its liquid body and softness.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas that helps lift the batter so it is less dense.
- Melted butter
- Adds fat for richness and a tender texture.
The step that matters
Add enough more flour to make a very stiff batter. A very stiff batter holds its shape while boiling. If it is too loose, the pudding may spread, turn soggy, or fall apart when removed from the cloth or dish.
“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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