Why it works: Bread and butter 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 ↓
Bread and Butter
Ingredients
Directions
Use French bread or fancy bread the same day it is baked.
For common bread, let it sit overnight for even cutting.
Spread butter evenly and lightly on the bread.
In summer, chill butter in cold water; in winter, warm it slightly near the fire.
Cut bread fresh just before serving to prevent it from drying out.
For toast, use bread at least a day old, cut into ½ inch thick rounds.
Toast over a clear, brisk fire, moving it to ensure even cooking.
Butter both sides of the toast and serve immediately on hot plates.
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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Bread + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,232 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
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