Why it works: Flour and butter 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 quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the dough
In a saucepan, combine butter and boiling water; bring to a boil.
Stir in the flour while boiling until a dough forms.
Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Bake
Drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto a baking sheet.
Bake for 30 minutes in a 400°F (200°C) oven.
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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Flour + buttertop 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).
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
- All-purpose flour
- Gelatinizes with the butter and water to form the dough that gives the puffs their structure.
- Butter
- Adds fat and richness, and softens the dough's texture as it melts into the water.
- Eggs
- Add moisture and structure, and their proteins set the puffs as they bake.
The step that matters
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Each egg must be fully incorporated before the next is added so the dough becomes smooth and glossy. Adding them too quickly can leave it broken or too slack to hold its shape and rise properly 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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