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 ↓
Breakfast Bolls
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a rather brisk oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the dough
Crumble the butter into the flour and mix in the salt.
In a bowl, combine the yeast and sugar with ½ pint of warm milk.
Make a well in the flour, pour in the yeast mixture, and stir to form a thick batter.
Cover with flour and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour.
Once risen, mix in the whisked egg and nearly ½ pint more warm milk to form a smooth dough.
Cover again and let it rise for 30 to 45 minutes.
Shape and bake
Turn the dough onto a floured surface and divide it into 24 equal portions.
Shape each portion into small round or olive-shaped rolls and make a slight incision on top.
Place the rolls on floured baking sheets, spaced 1 to 2 inches apart, and let them prove for 15 to 20 minutes.
Brush the tops with egg yolk mixed with a little milk.
Bake in a preheated oven at 400°F (200°C) for 10 to 15 minutes.
Cool the rolls upside down on a dish after removing from the tins.
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 + flourtop 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 + sugartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
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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
- All-purpose flour
- Provides the structure that holds the dough and rolls together.
- Yeast
- Produces gas that makes the dough rise and gives the rolls a light texture.
- Butter
- Adds fat that softens the crumb and gives a richer flavor.
- Milk
- Hydrates the flour and yeast and helps form a soft, smooth dough.
- Egg
- Adds richness and moisture, and the yolk helps the tops brown.
The step that matters
Brushing the tops with egg yolk and milk. A thin, even coat helps the tops brown evenly in the oven. Too much liquid can pool and cause uneven color or a sticky surface.
“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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