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 ↓
Batter Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Make the batter
Sift the baking powder into the flour, then add salt and melted butter if desired.
Gradually stir in the milk until smooth.
Add the well-beaten egg yolks and mix well.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, then gently fold them into the batter.
Bake and serve
Pour the batter into a greased baking dish and bake at 400°F (200°C) for 50 minutes.
For boiling, make the batter stiffer and ensure it does not stick to the knife when served.
Serve with a rich sauce.
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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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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Butter + eggtop 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
- Eggs
- Whipped whites add lift and airy structure, while yolks enrich the batter and help it set.
- All-purpose flour
- Provides the starch and gluten that give the batter its body and set structure.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas during baking so the pudding rises and becomes light.
- Milk
- Hydrates the flour and adds moisture and richness to the batter.
- Melted butter
- Adds fat for richer flavour and a tender crumb.
The step that matters
Folding in the egg whites. Whites beaten to stiff peaks hold the air that lifts the pudding. Stirring them in vigorously knocks that air out, so the pudding bakes flat and dense.
“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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