Why it works: Butter and milk 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
Scald the milk.
Pour the scalded milk over the sugar, salt, and butter.
Allow the mixture to cool until lukewarm.
Add the yeast dissolved in lukewarm water.
Stir in 3 cups of sifted flour. Beat well.
Cover and let rise until frothy.
Add 3 more cups of flour.
Let rise again until doubled in size.
Turn the dough onto a floured surface. Knead lightly.
Shape and bake
Roll out the dough to ½ inch thick.
Cut out rolls with a biscuit cutter.
Brush each roll with butter. Fold each roll. Press the edges together.
Place the rolls in a greased pan, one inch apart.
Let them rise until very light.
Bake in a hot oven at 400°F (200°C) for 20 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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Butter + milktop 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).
-
Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + sugartop 15% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
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Butter + sugartop 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
- All-purpose flour
- Forms the gluten network that gives the rolls their structure and chew.
- Compressed yeast
- Produces carbon dioxide during rising, making the dough light and airy.
- Milk
- Adds richness and softness, and browns the crust through its milk sugars.
- Butter
- Adds fat that tenderizes the crumb and gives a rich flavor.
- Sugar
- Feeds the yeast and adds a little sweetness and browning.
The step that matters
Let the dough rise until doubled, and do not rush the second rise. Yeast needs time to produce enough gas to expand the gluten network. Under-proofed dough bakes dense, while over-proofed dough can collapse in the 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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