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 ↓
Bread
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
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Make the batter
In a bowl, mix the butter, milk, baking soda, and cream of tartar.
Add the Indian meal, flour, salt, and egg.
Beat the mixture thoroughly for 15 minutes.
Bake
Pour into round pans and bake for 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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Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Milk + flourtop 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).
Butter and flour 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
- Butter
- Adds fat and richness, tenderising the crumb and carrying flavour.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acid in cream of tartar to release gas, helping the bread rise.
- Cream of tartar
- Provides acid that reacts with baking soda to produce lift and a lighter texture.
- Indian meal
- Cornmeal that gives the bread its body, grainy texture and corn flavour.
- Flour
- Provides structure as the batter sets during baking.
- Egg
- Binds the batter and adds structure and richness as it sets.
The step that matters
Beating the batter for 15 minutes. Vigorous beating incorporates air and begins gas release from the leavening reaction, which helps the bread rise. Under-beating can leave a dense loaf, while the batter should be poured and baked promptly so the gas is trapped before it escapes.
“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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