Why it works: Buttermilk and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,721 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
German Method of Buckwheat Cakes
Ingredients
Directions
In a bowl, combine buttermilk and tepid water in equal parts.
Add enough yeast to raise the batter.
Once the batter is light, mix in baking soda to balance the acidity of the buttermilk and add salt.
After baking, stir in more buttermilk and water, then add flour until the desired consistency is reached.
Set the batter in a cool place overnight; it will be light by morning.
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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Buttermilk + flourtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,721 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
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