Why it works: Butter and bread are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 27,232 recipes. Both carry delta-decalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
Baked Puddikgs
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a brisk oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the layers
Cut the rhubarb into short lengths and layer them in a deep dish with 1–2 tablespoons of sugar.
Cover the rhubarb with a layer of sliced penny roll.
Add another layer of rhubarb and sugar, followed by another layer of bread.
Top and bake
Top with a deep layer of fine bread crumbs mixed with about 1 tablespoon of sugar. Pour a little clarified butter over the top.
Bake in a biscuit oven at 400 °F (200 °C) for 30 to 40 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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Butter + breadtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,232 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Rhubarb + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,852 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
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Rhubarb + breadtop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together66 recipes
Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).
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Rhubarb + buttertop 27% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together673 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Rhubarb stalks
- Provides the tart fruit that cooks down into the filling.
- Penny roll
- Soaks up rhubarb juices, giving the layers a soft, pudding-like body.
- Fine bread crumbs
- Form a crisp, golden topping that helps seal in moisture.
- Clarified butter
- Adds fat that promotes browning and a rich flavour on the top layer.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the tart rhubarb and helps draw out its juices.
The step that matters
Layering and the deep crumb topping. Rhubarb releases a lot of liquid as it bakes. If the layers are too wet or the crumb topping is too thin, the pudding can turn soggy beneath and fail to brown on top. Even layers and a deep crumb cover help the bread absorb juice and the top crisp.
Swap the rhubarb
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, butter, bread):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Nutmegfits better
- Capersfits about as well
- Rhubarbthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, butter, bread. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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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