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 ↓
Paris Buns
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderately hot oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the dough
In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt.
Rub in the butter until well mixed.
Chop the candied peel and add it to the mixture.
Stir in the baking soda and cream of tartar.
Beat the eggs and mix them in, then add enough milk to moisten the dough.
Bake
Drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto a greased baking sheet.
Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) for about 20 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 + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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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).
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 of the buns as it sets in the oven.
- Butter
- Adds fat that tenderises the crumb and carries flavour.
- Eggs
- Bind the dough and add richness and structure when set by heat.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic cream of tartar to release gas, helping the buns rise.
- Cream of tartar
- Provides acidity that activates the baking soda for lift.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the buns and contributes to browning in the oven.
The step that matters
Stir in the baking soda and cream of tartar. Baking soda and cream of tartar must be evenly distributed through the dough so they react with each other and release gas. Uneven mixing leaves pockets of bitterness or poor rise, and the leavening works best when the dough is then shaped and baked 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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