Learn How to Properly Measure Flour

Name: How to Properly Measure Flour
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 1 cup
Ingredients: All Purpose Flour; Measuring Cup; Spoon

{Complete Recipe follows Photos/Narrative}
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ATTENTION: All Pressure Cooker Recipes are for the Instant Pot, Power Pressure Cooker XL (use Meat button) and all makes and models of Pressure Cookers. Any recipe can be cut in half, if needed, for smaller units.

September 30, 2016 By Jill 28 Comments

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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: