Why it works: Flour and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 78,219 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Yorkshire Pudding
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.
Prepare the batter
Place the flour and salt in a bowl.
Break the egg into a cup, beat it well, and pour it into the flour.
Mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon.
Gradually add the milk while beating the batter until air bubbles form.
Bake and serve
Grease a baking tin, pour in the batter, and bake at 400°F (200°C) for 30 minutes.
Cut into squares and serve with roast beef.
For a richer pudding, add a second egg.
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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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 + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, 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
- Flour
- Forms the structure of the batter that puffs and sets as it bakes.
- Egg
- Binds the batter and helps it set and rise in the oven.
- Milk
- Adds moisture to the batter so it can be poured and steam into a light, puffed shape.
The step that matters
Gradually add the milk while beating the batter until air bubbles form. Beating incorporates air that expands in the hot oven, helping the pudding rise. Adding the liquid slowly keeps the batter smooth and free of lumps, so it blends evenly and rises 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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