Why it works: Butter and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 12% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Cream Puffs
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
Boil water and butter together.
Slowly add flour while boiling to avoid lumps. Stir thoroughly, then let cool.
Add beaten eggs and dissolved baking soda.
Bake and fill
Drop spoonfuls onto a buttered pan, three inches apart.
Bake at 400°F (200°C) for over 20 minutes without opening the oven for at least 10 minutes.
If the oven is too hot, reduce the heat instead of opening the door.
Let the puffs cool completely before cutting them open and filling with mock cream.
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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Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Butter and flour 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
- Butter
- Adds fat and richness, and helps give the dough a tender texture.
- All-purpose flour
- Gelatinizes with the boiling water to form the dough's structure.
- Eggs
- Provide structure and moisture, and help the puffs rise and set as they bake.
- Baking soda
- Releases gas that helps the puffs rise and expand in the oven.
The step that matters
Do not open the oven door early. Opening the oven releases the steam that makes the puffs rise. Opening too soon can cause them to collapse before the structure sets.
“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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