Why it works: Vanilla and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19,187 recipes. Both carry ethyl caproate, which smells fruity, apple peel. The science ↓
Supekiob, Bread Puddings
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Make the custard
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Cream the butter and 1 cup of sugar together.
Beat the egg yolks until very light and mix with the butter and sugar.
Soak the bread crumbs in the milk, then add to the mixture along with the flavoring.
Pour into a buttered pudding dish, filling it two-thirds full.
Bake until the custard is set.
Top and finish
Spread jam or fruit conserve on top.
Make a meringue with the whipped egg whites and remaining ½ cup of sugar, then cover the jam with it.
Bake until the meringue begins to color.
Serve cold with cream or warm sauce.
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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Vanilla + milktop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,187 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
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Bread + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,232 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
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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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Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Bread + milktop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together11,466 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-undecenal (sweet).
Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 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
- Eggs
- Egg proteins set the custard, giving the pudding its structure and body.
- Milk
- Provides the liquid that the eggs set into a tender custard.
- Bread crumbs
- Soak up the milk and give the pudding its soft, bready texture.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the custard and the meringue.
- Butter
- Adds fat for richness and a smooth, tender crumb.
- Jam
- Adds fruity sweetness and flavor beneath the meringue.
The step that matters
Bake until the custard is set. Egg proteins firm as they heat. Underbaked custard stays runny, while overbaking tightens the eggs too far, making the pudding grainy and causing it to weep liquid.
“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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