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Flour is likely one of the most vexing substances to measure by quantity. As a result of flour is well compacted or aerated relying on the way it’s dealt with, its mass per cup is very variable—one thing that may tremendously influence your baking. There are two foremost approaches to measuring flour by quantity: dipping and spooning.
The Dipping Methodology
The dipping technique (usually known as “dip and sweep”) is probably extra intuitive for house bakers. It rightly assumes that the typical particular person goes to seize a cup measure, stick it within the bag, and scoop out some flour. Partially, the quantity of drive used to scoop out the flour determines how a lot will probably be crammed into the cup, however this will also be influenced by the diploma to which the flour has already compacted. For instance, a brand-new bag of flour could also be extremely compact, however one which’s half full will probably be barely aerated from use. Bakers who pour their flour from a bag right into a bin could have well-aerated flour, too. As a result of such variables, Kenji has discovered that all-purpose flour can clock in at anyplace from 4 to 6 ounces per cup. Based on that knowledge, Critical Eats has traditionally based mostly recipe conversions from mass to quantity on the typical: a five-ounce cup of all-purpose flour.
The Spooning Methodology
The spooning technique includes spooning flour from the bag right into a measuring cup, which is not as intuitive and it takes a bit extra effort. But it surely additionally tremendously eliminates the dangers of compression, producing a reasonably commonplace four-and-a-half-ounce cup. In culinary faculty, this technique was taught as essentially the most correct strategy to measure flour by quantity, and it is what you may see in my forthcoming cookbook—along with mass measurements, in fact!
The Finest Approach to Measure Flour
Once I first joined Critical Eats, I went together with the present coverage of changing mass to quantity based mostly on the dipping technique, for a five-ounce cup of all-purpose flour. However, as I’ve grown extra snug in my position because the pastry wizard right here, I’ve felt compelled to fall again on my coaching and change to the strategy that provides essentially the most constant outcomes for quantity measurements.
My first suggestion for measuring flour will at all times be to make use of a digital kitchen scale. For many who do not personal one, although, my quantity measurements for all-purpose flour will probably be based mostly on the spooning technique, with every cup weighing 4 and a half ounces. Simply as brown sugar is commonly listed as “1 cup, firmly packed,” the strategy of measuring will probably be listed merely alongside the quantity.
