Why it works: Rye and flour match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,320 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Rye Muffins
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.
Mix the batter
In a large bowl, combine the rye flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
Beat the egg and add it to the dry ingredients.
Gradually mix in sour milk until the batter is stiff.
Bake
Spoon the batter into greased muffin tins.
Bake at 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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Rye + flourtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,320 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Rye + milktop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together918 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
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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 milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 78,219 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
- Rye flour
- Provides the distinctive flavor and a denser, more tender crumb than wheat flour alone.
- All-purpose flour
- Supplies gluten-forming structure so the muffins hold their shape.
- Egg
- Binds the batter and adds structure as it sets during baking.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic sour milk to produce gas that lifts the muffins.
- Sour milk
- Adds moisture and acidity that activates the baking soda for rising.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the crust brown as the muffins bake.
The step that matters
Mix in the sour milk until the batter is stiff. Overmixing once the flour is wet develops gluten and makes muffins tough, while the baking soda starts reacting as soon as acid meets it, so the batter should go into the tins promptly.
“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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