Why it works: Wheat and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 12% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,373 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Short Crust
Ingredients
Directions
In a bowl, mix the flour and salt.
Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
If using, add baking powder and mix well.
Add cold water, a tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together.
Knead gently and roll out for use in pies or tarts.
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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Wheat + flourtop 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
- Fine wheat flour
- Forms the structure of the pastry as its proteins and starch set when baked.
- Butter
- Creates flaky layers and tenderness by staying in pieces that melt and separate the dough.
- Baking powder
- Adds a little lift and lightness to the pastry when used.
The step that matters
Add cold water a tablespoon at a time. Too much water develops gluten and makes the pastry tough, while too little leaves it crumbly. Adding it gradually lets you stop once the dough just holds together.
“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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