Why it works: Flour and buttermilk 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 ↓
Breakfast Rolls
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.
Make the dough
Mix flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar in a bowl.
Moisten the mixture with buttermilk until soft.
Shape the dough into small pieces like French rolls.
Bake
Place the rolls on a baking tin and cover with roll-pans.
Bake for 20 minutes at 400°F (200°C).
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 their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Flour + buttermilktop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,721 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Cream + buttermilktop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together674 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Flour + creamtop 20% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together30,481 recipes
Shared aroma: acetaldehyde (pungent, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Flour
- Provides the structure that holds the rolls together as the dough sets.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acid in the buttermilk to release gas, helping the rolls rise.
- Cream of tartar
- Adds acidity that activates the baking soda and contributes to a tender crumb.
- Buttermilk
- Moistens the flour and supplies the acid that works with the baking soda.
The step that matters
Moisten the mixture with buttermilk until soft. Adding too much or too little liquid changes the dough's consistency. Enough buttermilk gives a soft dough that rises well, while too much makes it slack and dense. Stop once the dough is soft and just holds together.
“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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