Why it works: Allspice and cinnamon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,536 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Cross Buns
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the dough
Mix the ground allspice, cinnamon, and mace into the dough.
When the dough has risen halfway, press a cross shape into the center using a tin mold.
Allow the dough to rise in a warm place until fully proved.
Glaze and bake
Ice the buns with the beaten egg white using a spoon.
Sprinkle powdered sugar on top and dissolve it with a little water splashed from the brush.
Bake in a hot oven at 400°F (200°C) for about 10 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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Allspice + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,536 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Cinnamon + carawaytop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together188 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
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Allspice + carawaytop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together69 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Allspice + macetop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,189 recipes
Shared aroma: methyleugenol (clove, spice).
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Cinnamon + macetop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,611 recipes
Shared aroma: methyleugenol (clove, spice).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Plain dough
- Provides the soft, risen bread structure that the buns are built on.
- Egg white
- Brushed on as a glaze, it helps the surface brown and gives a glossy finish.
- Ground allspice
- Adds warm spice aroma to the dough.
- Ground cinnamon
- Adds warm, sweet spice aroma to the dough.
- Ground mace
- Adds a delicate, nutmeg-like spice aroma to the dough.
The step that matters
Proving the dough until fully risen. Yeast dough needs enough time in a warm place to produce gas and expand; under-proofed dough bakes dense, while the cross cut into it can be lost if the dough is not ready.
Swap the mace
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (allspice, cinnamon, caraway, egg, sugar):
- Nutmegfits better
- Clovefits better
- Cardamomfits better
- Macethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against allspice, cinnamon, caraway, egg, sugar. 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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