Why it works: Flour and buttermilk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,721 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Winter Rolls
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dough
Put the flour into a large bowl.
Scald the buttermilk, add the lard, and pour over the flour, mixing well.
Add the cold water and yeast, then set in a warm place to rise overnight.
In the morning, add salt and enough flour to make a moderately stiff dough.
When risen, knead the dough and set it to rise again.
Knead down the dough and place it in a large bowl or stone crock, covered tightly to prevent drying.
Bake
When needed, turn out on a floured surface, take a piece as large as desired, roll out to the thickness of ordinary soda biscuits, cut, and bake immediately.
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.
-
Flour + buttermilktop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,721 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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 dough that holds the rolls together.
- Yeast
- Produces gas during the long rise, leavening the dough.
- Buttermilk
- Adds moisture and tang, and its acidity works with the dough's flavor and texture.
- Lard
- Adds fat that tenderizes the crumb and keeps the rolls soft.
The step that matters
Covering the stored dough. Dough left exposed dries out and forms a crust, which makes the baked rolls tough. Covering it tightly keeps the surface moist so it bakes evenly.
“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
Cornbread345 recipes
Bread Pudding336 recipes
Milk Bread Rolls242 recipes
Potato Bread124 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.