Learn How to Properly Measure Flour and stop blaming the recipe. You will end up with more success from all your recipes.
How to Properly Measure Flour
The Flour Weighs 125 Grams
I’ve been noticing recently some people are having problems with simple baking recipes. Their breads and cakes are coming out to firm or to rubbery.
Some people have resorted to using their baked goods as a weapon. With that I jest, but you get the message.
How to Properly Measure Flour
When I bake, I always use this Baker’s Math Scale and weigh in grams.
The measurement is much more accurate than using a Measuring Cup and Measuring Spoons.
Use a Spoon to Aerate the Flour
If you don’t have a scale and want to use a standard Measuring Cup, make sure your flour is very aerated.
I keep all my Flours and Sugar in these particular Lock N Lock Square Containers to keep out the bugs. Actually, all my dry goods are kept in Lock N Lock Containers.
My cabinets and refrigerator (we use them for cold storage too) look like a Lock N Lock factory. 🙂
During storage, Flour settles.
You want to aerate to make it very light. So, either shake your container, or take a spoon and mix up the Flour.
Don’t Scoop from the Container or Bag of Flour
Never, ever, ever, stick your Measuring Cup into the bag or container of Flour and “scoop up a cup.”
Never. Do you know how much that scooped cup weighs? I’ll show you down below.
That in and of itself, may just be the reason you are having very heavy breads and cakes.
Try this method in my Pressure Cooker Grandma Mill’s Banana Nut Bread recipe and let me know if your Banana Bread comes out perfect.
Use a Spoon to Scoop
To properly measure Flour using a Measuring Cup, use a spoon and sprinkle the Flour into the Measuring Cup. That will get you pretty close to the actual weight of 125 grams.
The King Arthur Flour sites says there are 120 grams of All Purpose Flour to one measuring cup of All Purpose Flour.
Most bakers use 125 grams as a one cup measurement.
While I love and only use King Arthur All Purpose Flour, the 125 grams/one cup measurement, has always worked for me.
Fill your Measuring Cup with Flour
Continue sprinkling in the Flour, until your Measuring Cup is full.
You can see how light and airy the Flour appears. It will look very similar to sifted Flour.
Use the Back Side of Knife to Level the Flour
Using a Butter Knife, run the knife across the Measuring Cup and level the excess Flour back into the container or bag of Flour.
Bakers Math Kitchen Scale
A “cup” of flour should weigh 125 grams/4.40 ounces, so let’s see how we did.
Most, if not all bakers that I follow, also use the weight of 125 grams for a one cup bulk measurement.
If you prefer to measure in ounces, the weight in ounces is 4.41, which interestingly enough, is what the King Arthur websites says.
My Baker’s Math Scale is on 0.00 grams.
Place Bowl on Bakers Scale and Tar it Out
To see how much the Flour in the Measuring Cup weighs, Tar out the Scale back to Zero.
Let’s Weigh the Flour
Let’s weigh the Flour we just sprinkled into the Measuring Cup.
The Flour Weighs 125 Grams
The Flour weighs exactly 125 grams. Now, I have been weighing my flour for many years, so I hit it right on the money.
Without a scale, you may be a gram or two over or under.
That small amount won’t matter. Now, let’s see how much a “cup” of Flour weighs doing it the wrong way.
Measuring Flour the Wrong Way
Whoa!!! That is quite a significant difference.
Now, imagine a recipe that calls for three cups of Flour, that is almost a whole cup more Flour than needed.
The Flour Weighs 125 Grams
Now that you have learned How to Properly Measure Flour, I bet you will have much better results with all your baking! I’d love to know how your baked goods come out with this method.
I would love to hear from you after you try this method. Please, if you feel like it, let me know in the comments section below.
Happy Baking!
Kitchen Equipment and Essentials
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Here is the handy printable recipe:
How to Properly Measure Flour
How to Properly Measure Flour
Print Pin RateIngredients
Instructions
- Shake or mix your flour to aerate.
- With a spoon, sprinkle flour into your measuring cup.
- When full, use the back of a knife to level the flour.
Notes
Nutrition
PIN this How to Properly Measure Flour!
How to Properly Measure Flour
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I think you just solved my banana bread problem. Came out like rubber. I will follow your advice on measuring flour.
Thanks
Hi Rich~
After seeing several rubber loaves of Banana Bread, it occurred to me that not everyone is a baker and knows how to measure flour. I am glad this will help.
Jill
Wow I never knew that about weighting flour. I used to sift flour but somewhere in our moves and yard sales my sifter disappeared. I truly think my kids used it in the sandbox. LOL.
I do have a scale so I best get it out and start using it.
Thanks for the info
Have you ever used a fine wire strainer, it looks like a hand-held strainer, but it is made with mesh and looks like the bottom of a flower sifter. I have ran my flower through this sieve before measuring. Not sure how it would measure up though. Any idea if this would work better, or would I end up falling short of the ideal weight?
Emily, that would work very well.
Jill
Thanks, Jill. I never new that about flour. I’ve sifted my flour before measuring, but usually only if the recipe called for it.
I never knew this!! Makes total sense now.
Does gluten free flour weigh the same?
Hi Suzie~
There are different flours that are gluten free, so you would need to weigh each flour.
Jill
I did not see this comment before I asked the same question. I use a GF baking 1:1 flour made up of many different ones. I will try your method .
I have recently purchased a kitchen scale just for this purpose. I did not know, but should have, that flour measuring should be by weight and not by measuring cup. Thanks for this.
Hi Susan~
It will make a different in your baked good. 🙂 Jill
Thank you for taking the time to properly measure flour. Your explanation will always stick in my head. A lot of us will benefit from your write- up. Thanks!
Hi Vidya~
Thank you so much. I wish you lots of yummy bread and cake. Jill
Just curious, why did you use to differnt forms of measurement when comparing differences in weight? I’m crunching numbers over here so my brain can have a true undersatanding of why we should measure vs scoop.
She was not comparing the two weights she was showing an example in ounces and an example in grams so could see the overage depending on what units you prefer. I had the same thought as you at first. Hope this helps.
Where did you find that a cup of flour weighs 4.4 oz on the KAF website? I can only find where it states a cup of flour weighs 4 1/4 oz, which equals 4.25, not 4.4 or 4.41.
Hi Kerri. I think you misread what I said in the recipe. Jill
You’re right; on the KAF website it says 4-1/4 ounce or 120 grams. Pretty close but not exact.
Yes, but most bakers use the 125 g measurement, as do I.
Hi, TOG ~ Thanks for posting this. I don’t have a baker’s scale, but I do have a food scale. Are there differences? And what about whole wheat flour, or almond flour ~ are there differences in measured weight for alternative flours?
Thanks for all the help and great recipes I’ve gotten from your site, and on pinterest I became a devotee after trying corn on the cob in the Instant Pot, following your directions for the milk, salt, sugar, butter, water method. Didn’t know corn could taste like that. It’s like the difference between fresh pineapple from Hawaii and store-bought pineapple. Soooo good corn on the cob.
Hi Carol. The flour you mention have different weights from each other, which is one of the reasons it is important to weigh the flour. Jill
Just love your recipes. I just bought my first stant pot and while I am waiting for it to arrive I have been doing a lot of searching for help online. So happy I came across your recipes and information. Wow. Thank you. It will be very helpful to read and learn .
Thank you, Phyllis. Have fun cooking. Jill
Love all the information and yummy recipes. New to instant pot cooking.
Gosh I remember learning this at school cooking class 60 odd years ago, thanks I still do it now.
does this measuring method apply to all flours? I have to use gluten free mixtures and those flours and recipes are more dense than regular flour recipes…Maybe this would help.
Hi Terry. Yes, all types of flour since they are different densities. Jill
I will start measuring my flour the correct way, however, what about using my sifter?
Sifter will work too, as it is the same principle of aerating the flour.
According to King Arthur Web page 1 cup all-purpose flour weighs 120 gram or 4.25 oz. Which should I follow? Follow your measurement or theirs. I want the recipe to come out right.
Most bakers use the measurements I use. Jill
I use a whisk to aerate and it works great!