Why it works: Milk and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and 81,283 recipes mention both. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓
Parker House Rolls
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point. The book gives no cooking times either; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Make the dough
In a bowl, combine warm milk and yeast; let it sit for 5 minutes.
Add sugar, salt, melted butter, and egg; mix well.
Gradually add flour, stirring until a dough forms.
Knead the dough on a floured surface for about 5 minutes.
Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let it rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
Shape and bake
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Roll out the dough and cut into rounds; fold each round in half.
Place on a baking sheet and let rise for another 30 minutes.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
-
Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + sugartop 15% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
-
Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour and butter share little aroma chemistry, yet 124,287 recipes mention both: they likely 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 gluten network that gives the rolls their structure.
- Active dry yeast
- Produces carbon dioxide gas that makes the dough rise and become airy.
- Warm milk
- Hydrates the flour and warms the yeast to activate it, adding softness.
- Butter
- Adds fat that tenderizes the crumb and contributes richness.
- Egg
- Adds structure and moisture, helping the dough bind and enrich the crumb.
- Sugar
- Feeds the yeast and promotes browning in the baked crust.
The step that matters
Letting the dough rise until doubled. Yeast needs enough time to produce gas for a light, airy crumb. Underproofed dough bakes dense, while overproofed dough can collapse and lose structure.
“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.
You might also like
Cornbread345 recipes
Bread Pudding336 recipes
Potato Bread124 recipes
Nut Bread109 recipesThe Sunday pairing: one pairing, the chemistry behind it, and how to cook it. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account for sign-in; Pro adds the full results and chemistry.