Ever wonder why one loaf of freshly baked muffins turns out perfect and the next one is dense? The answer is most likely how you scooped the flour.
Discussing how to properly scoop flour is a simple, somber topic…but it’s essential to turning out incredible, consistent baked goods and breads. Flour is the ingredient that most home bakers measuring inaccurately.
Scooping flour seems basic, but one wrong scoop can turn a great bake into a stodgy one. When you scoop flour directly from the bag or container, you are actually compacting the flour, thereby adding more flour to your recipe than needed. As a result, your baked good results will wildly vary. The same goes for ingredients including cocoa powder, powdered sugar, almond flour, etc. Below are two ways you can measure accurately and quickly to get consistent baking results. .
The Kitchen Scale:
The best method to ensure consistent bakes is measuring by weight with a kitchen scale. This is the gold standard for bakers and I highly encourage you to try it. It’s faster than using a measuring cup because you can quickly pour ingredients into a bowl on the scale. Don’t worry, about adding another appliance to your kitchen because digital kitchen scales are relatively inexpensive, widely available and are so useful beyond baking! I use them to weight out butternut squash for my Baked pasta with butternut squash, sage and spinach and for the carrots in Almost Ran’s Carrot Salad. Find a kitchen scale that easily goes between grams and ounces, like this one!
The Scoop Method:
If you don’t own a kitchen scale or firmly refuse to use one, the next best way to measure flour is with a soup spoon and a measuring cup. Gently spooning flour into your measuring cup ensures your flour is not densely packed.
Use a spoon to scoop flour out of your container and gently add it into your measuring cup. When you have filled the measuring cup, use the spoon handle as a leveling device and scrape off the excess mounded flour; leaving you with a airy, level scoop of flour.
Personally, I use both methods. For large scale baking like sourdough, the scale is the clear winner because otherwise you’ll be scooping ’till kingdom come. Try your hand at both and see what works best for you!
Happy Baking!
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