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 the butter and boiling water; bring to a boil.
Stir in the flour while boiling until a smooth dough forms.
Remove from heat and let the mixture 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 in a preheated oven at 400°F (200°C) for 30 minutes.
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
- Provides the starch that sets the dough's structure as the puffs bake.
- Butter
- Adds fat and richness and helps make the dough tender.
- Eggs
- Add structure and moisture, and help the puffs rise and set as they bake.
The step that matters
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Eggs must be fully incorporated one at a time so the dough becomes smooth and glossy. Adding them too fast can leave the dough loose, so the puffs may not rise well.
“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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