Why it works: Butter and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓
Tea Bread
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderately warm oven”. The 350°F in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the dough
Warm the milk and water until lukewarm.
In a basin, dissolve the yeast and 2 oz. of sugar in the warm liquid. Stir in ½ lb. of flour. Cover with a clean cloth and let it sit in a warm place for 20 minutes.
On a board, weigh the remaining flour. Rub the butter into the flour with your hands. Make a well in the flour.
Add the remaining sugar, egg yolks, and salt to the well. Add the yeast mixture to the well and mix into a smooth dough.
Knead the dough well. Cover the dough with a clean cloth and let it rise until doubled in size.
Shape and bake
Divide the dough into pieces weighing about 2 oz. each and shape them into twists, crescents, or other shapes.
Place the shaped rolls on a clean baking tray, cover, and let them rise again.
Once risen, brush the tops with a beaten egg. Bake in a moderate oven (350°F / 175°C) until golden brown.
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 their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + sugartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
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Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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
- Flour
- Forms the gluten network that gives the bread its structure.
- Yeast
- Ferments the sugars, producing gas that makes the dough rise.
- Butter
- Adds fat that tenderises the crumb and enriches the flavour.
- Egg yolks
- Add richness and colour, and help the dough set with a tender crumb.
- Milk and water
- Provide the liquid that hydrates the flour and activates the yeast.
- Sugar
- Feeds the yeast and adds sweetness and browning in the oven.
The step that matters
Letting the dough rise until doubled. Yeast needs time and warmth to produce enough gas for proper aeration. Rising too short leaves a dense loaf, while the dough must not be rushed before shaping.
“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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