Baking Question

[Newfie]

I'm quite the accomplished cook for appetizers and main dishes, but a little lacking ( a lot actually) when it comes to baking.

As an example, many recipes call for 1 cup of sifted flour, and others call for 1 cup of flour, sifted.

Now, technically, by the English language, these mean two different things. But what about "Baking Lingo", same or different?

 

[Brewman]

I think they do mean different things.

One cup of sifted flour is obtained after you sift a quantity of flour, measure out one cup after sifting.

One cup of flour, sifted, is the opposite. You measure out one cup of flour, then put that in a sifter, and use all of it in your recipe.

Sifting will change the volume of the flour.

 

[Newfie]

That's what I figured Brewman, thanks.

 

[biomesh]

Most commercial all purpose flour that you can buy now is already pre-sifted(check the bag/box), so you can skip the sifting step.

 

[Hammer]

I have been a chef for the last 25 years and what it means is to sift the flour.
You always have some small moisture lumps that you need to remove to
have a very good texture to the flour and it introduces air into the mix to make a lighter product.

Try it both ways sifted and unsifted and you'll see the difference.
Back to the oven gents

 

[analog_kid]

What's cookin', Jim?

 

[_JP_]

I think that it is two different meanings, either measuring flour before it's sifted or after it's sifted. This is one of many small reasons why I agree with Graham Kerr (The Galloping Gourmet) in that dry ingredients should be weighed instead of using a volume measurement. But that is not the standard with recipes, using cups and spoons for all ingredients is the norm.

 

[Rorschuck]

This, and other reasons, is why real bakers measure stuff by weight, not volume.

 

[stripec30]

This, and other reasons, is why real bakers measure stuff by weight, not volume.

Weight or volume: ounces, are ounces...

 

[Thomas]

You might check the front of the cookbook (assuming you're using one of those) to see how they define these things. Baking Illustrated defines - in the front - how they measure flour (dip and level) and what they mean when they specify to sift.

Personally I've always measured then sifted.

And one of these days I will get a scale for baking.

 

[Newfie]

For those of you who'd like to know, I was baking Biscotti. In this case, I measured and then sifted, and I believe I was still short of flour because the dough was extremely sticky (much more than it should have been) and the "formed log" that I put on the cookie sheet flattened in less than 10 minutes in the oven.

One thing I always do first time using a particular recipe (right or wrong) is to follow exactly and deal with the result. next time, I'll make adjustments.

In this case, I'll add more flour............


................and I won't melt the chocolate as long!!!

Let's not go there!!!!!!

 

[JayKay]

I live in a ghetto college appartment and every time I turn on my oven my smoke detector goes off, despite the lack of smoke. No, its not a gas leak that I'm accidentaly mixing up with my CO detector. Damn college appartments. Otherwise, I could use some baking tips as well

 

[SilkySmooth]

In my experience, it's always better to measure out your dry ingredients by weight and not volume.


==Tom

 

[rickw]

This, and other reasons, is why real bakers measure stuff by weight, not volume.

Real bakers are into pounds and kilos.

 

[JayKay]

Pounds and kilos. Now that sounds like it would depend on what your cooking ;-)

 

[Newfie]

OK, many people are saying weight is more accurate than volume. SO how much does a pound of flour weigh??





























Bwaaaaaaaaaaaa haaaaaa haaaaaaaaaaaaaa, I crack me up!!!!

 

[R-James]

I have never worked in cups being in the UK. I cook very often and I bake at least twice a week and I find grams and kilos the easiest thing in the world compared to ounces and pounds. Probably my age I guess

 

[Doc4]

OK, many people are saying weight is more accurate than volume. SO how much does a pound of flour weigh??





























Bwaaaaaaaaaaaa haaaaaa haaaaaaaaaaaaaa, I crack me up!!!!

... a whole new twist on "Newfie Jokes" ...

 

[adamjaskie]

What's heavier, a pound of feathers, or a pound of gold?










Answer: a pound of feathers. Gold is measured in troy pounds, which are lighter.

 

[_JP_]

Weight or volume: ounces, are ounces...

That is only true with water and many liquids that almost entirely water. With dry materials weight and volume are not interchangeable that way.