I've been measuring flour wrong for 10 years and I'm furious

Last weekend I finally weighed my flour instead of scooping it from the bag. Turned out I was using 30% more flour every single time I baked bread. My loaves were always dense and dry and I blamed the recipe, not my own hand. What tipped me off was my buddy in Chicago who bakes professionally and watched me scoop a cup and just shook his head. Anyone else have a basic baking habit they had to unlearn after way too long?

3 comments

3 Comments

elliot_johnson317d ago

Funny enough, I actually think scooping gets a bad rap. I've been scooping flour for years and my bread comes out just fine. The trick is knowing your flour and how it settles. If you always scoop the same way, it gets consistent. Weighing is great for precision but not everybody needs bakery level exactness. Home baking is supposed to be forgiving, not stressful. I bet your loaves were still pretty good, just a little heartier than you planned.

richard_anderson7d ago

Right? I've been scooping for years too and nobody's ever complained about my cookies being "wrong.

gibson.sarah7d ago

My first sourdough loaf I just used an old coffee mug to scoop my flour, and honestly it turned out great too. I've been baking for about seven years now and I totally agree with @elliot_johnson31 about consistency being the real secret. Once you get a feel for how your particular brand of flour packs into the scoop, you really don't need a scale for everyday bread. My family actually prefers the slightly denser loaves that come from scooping, says they're more filling with soup.