Why it works: Butter and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓
Muffins
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dough
Mix flour, egg, melted butter, and milk together.
Add yeast and beat thoroughly.
Set aside for 2 to 3 hours to rise.
Shape and cook
Roll the dough into balls the size of a large walnut.
Cover the balls with a flannel to keep them warm.
Place the balls on a heated plate and turn them when the bottom changes color.
Ensure they do not burn by adjusting the heat if necessary.
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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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 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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Egg + buttertop 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
- Flour
- Forms the structure that holds the muffins together as they cook.
- Egg
- Adds structure and richness to the dough.
- Butter
- Adds fat for tenderness and flavor.
- Milk
- Provides moisture that hydrates the flour and forms the dough.
- Yeast
- Produces gas that makes the dough rise and gives it an airy texture.
The step that matters
Adjusting the heat on the plate. The bottom browns quickly on a hot surface, so heat that is too high can scorch the muffins before the inside is cooked. Turning them at the right moment and lowering the heat when needed keeps them evenly cooked.
“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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