Why it works: Milk and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and 81,283 recipes mention both. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓
Parker House Rolls
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the sponge
Cool the scalded milk.
Dissolve the yeast cake in a little lukewarm water.
Make a sponge with the milk, dissolved yeast, and enough flour to form a batter.
Beat thoroughly.
Cover.
Let rise until light.
Make the dough
Add melted lard, sugar, salt, and enough flour to knead the dough.
Let the dough rise again.
Toss it on a floured board.
Roll it out to ⅓ inch thickness.
Cut with a biscuit cutter dipped in flour.
Make a crease through the middle of each piece using a floured knife handle.
Brush one half of each piece with melted butter.
Fold.
Press the edges together.
Bake
Place in a greased pan, one inch apart.
Cover.
Let rise.
Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 12 to 15 minutes.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Milk + flourtop 14% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
-
Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Butter and flour share little aroma chemistry, yet 124,287 recipes mention both: they likely 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 batter and dough structure that holds the rolls' shape and rise.
- Yeast cake
- Produces gas as it ferments, making the dough rise and become light.
- Lard
- Adds tenderness and softness by coating flour strands and shortening the crumb.
- Butter
- Adds richness and flavor, and browns the surface of the baked rolls.
- Sugar
- Feeds the yeast and adds sweetness and gentle browning to the crust.
- Milk
- Adds moisture and richness, and its proteins help give a soft crumb.
The step that matters
Let the dough rise until light before shaping. Yeast needs time to produce enough gas to lighten the dough. Shaping or baking too early leaves dense rolls, while the second rise gives the final airy texture.
“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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