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 ↓
Corn Bread
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.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
In a bowl, mix the cornmeal, sugar, salt, oil or butter, and baking powder.
If using butter, cream it with the dry ingredients thoroughly before adding the sugar and salt.
Mix and bake
Quickly add the beaten eggs and milk to the mixture.
Pour the batter into a greased baking dish.
Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Egg + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Sugar + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Sugar and milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 77,875 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
- White cornmeal
- Forms the bulk of the crumb and gives the cornbread its characteristic flavor and texture.
- Eggs
- Bind the batter and add structure as they set during baking.
- Milk
- Hydrates the cornmeal and adds moisture to the batter.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas that lifts the batter so the bread rises and stays tender.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the crust brown.
- Oil or butter
- Adds fat for tenderness and moisture in the crumb.
The step that matters
Quickly add the beaten eggs and milk to the mixture.. Baking powder starts releasing gas as soon as it gets wet, so the batter should go into the oven promptly to keep the rise strong and the crumb light.
“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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