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 dough
In a bowl, combine scalded milk, butter, sugar, and flour.
Add the dissolved yeast and mix well.
When the dough has risen, add the beaten egg whites and mix in gently.
Knead the dough for a couple of minutes.
Return the dough to the bowl, cover, and let it rise again.
Shape and bake
Turn out the dough.
Knead very little.
Roll out and cut into small rounds.
Butter half of each round.
Fold over and press the fold.
Place on a well-greased pan and let rise until doubled in size.
Bake in a hot oven at 400°F (200°C).
Brush with melted butter as soon as they are done.
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).
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Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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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).
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Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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
- Provides the structure that holds the dough together and lets it rise.
- Yeast
- Produces gas as it ferments, causing the dough to rise and become light.
- Milk
- Hydrates the flour and adds moisture and softness to the dough.
- Butter
- Adds fat that tenderizes the crumb and gives the rolls richness.
- Egg whites
- Add protein that adds structure and helps the rolls hold their shape.
- Sugar
- Feeds the yeast and adds sweetness and gentle browning.
The step that matters
Let the dough rise until doubled after shaping. The rolls depend on the final rise for their lightness. Underproofed rolls stay dense, while overproofed ones may collapse or bake up flat in the hot oven.
“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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