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 ↓
Paste for Raised Pies
Ingredients
Directions
Mix and roll
In a large bowl, combine the flour, butter, and a pinch of coarse sea salt.
Gradually add water, mixing until the dough is stiff.
Once well mixed, give the dough two or three turns and roll it out.
Shape and handle
Cut the dough into the desired shape for your pie.
For a smoother paste, melt the butter in warm water before mixing.
If the dough gets too cold while working, warm it slightly.
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).
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
- Provides the structure that holds the dough together once water is added.
- Butter
- Fat that coats the flour and keeps the dough tender and flaky.
The step that matters
Gradually add water, mixing until the dough is stiff. Water hydrates the flour proteins and lets gluten form, so adding it gradually lets you stop before the dough becomes sticky. Too much water, or overworking, makes the dough tough.
“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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