Why it works: Wheat and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,418 recipes. Both carry (e,z)-2,6-nonadienal, which smells cucumber, melon. The science ↓
Griddle Cakes
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Sift together the graham flour, wheat flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
In a separate bowl, mix the beaten egg, milk, and melted butter.
Combine the wet and dry ingredients until just mixed.
Cook and serve
Fry on a hot griddle until golden brown on both sides.
Serve with maple sugar.
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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Wheat + milktop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,418 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,z)-2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, melon).
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Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Flour + wheattop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,373 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Wheat + buttertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,002 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the batter, making the griddle cakes rise and turn light.
- Egg
- Adds structure and richness, helping the batter hold together as it cooks.
- Butter
- Adds fat for tenderness and flavor and a richer browning on the griddle.
- Milk
- Hydrates the flours and gives the batter its liquid body.
- Graham flour
- Provides the main flour structure and a nutty, coarse-textured flavor.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the cakes brown evenly on the griddle.
The step that matters
Combine the wet and dry ingredients until just mixed. Overmixing develops gluten in the flour, which makes griddle cakes tough and dense. Stop once no dry streaks remain, leaving small lumps that will cook out.
“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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