Why it works: Sugar and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 43,450 recipes. Both carry 2,3-butanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓
Doughnuts
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dough
In a bowl, stir together the sugar and eggs until creamy.
Add the sweet milk, baking soda, cream of tartar, and melted lard; mix well.
Gradually add flour until the dough is soft but manageable.
Shape and fry
Roll out the dough and cut into rings.
Fry the doughnuts in hot lard 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 their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Milk + flourtop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
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Egg + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Milk + creamtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together29,399 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Milk and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 78,219 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
- Eggs
- Bind the dough and add richness and structure as they set in the fryer.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the cream of tartar to release gas, helping the doughnuts rise and lighten.
- Cream of tartar
- Acidifies the dough so it reacts with the baking soda, producing lift and a tender crumb.
- Melted lard
- Adds fat for tenderness and moisture, and carries flavour and browning in the frying step.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the doughnuts brown evenly during frying.
- Flour
- Forms the gluten network that gives the dough its body so it can be rolled and cut.
The step that matters
Frying the doughnuts in hot lard. If the lard is not hot enough, doughnuts absorb excess oil and turn greasy and heavy. If it is too hot, the outside browns before the centre cooks. Steady heat gives a golden exterior and a fully cooked interior.
“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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