How to Properly Measure Flour Correctly

Learn How to Properly Measure Flour Correctly! Getting the right measurement of flour can be the difference between a perfectly fluffy cake and a disaster in the oven. Don't let your baking aspirations be ruined – knowing how to measure flour correctly is one of the most important skills for a successful baker.

In this article, you’ll learn the techniques and tools necessary to correctly measure flour, to make your baking endeavors delightful. From understanding the different types of measurements to using the right tools, this article will help you get your measurements spot on every time, so you can achieve delicious results every time.

When Measuring Flour by Volume

How to Measure Flour Correctly

Use these simple steps to help you make your baked goods result in the best texture possible, whether it's brownies, cookies, cakes or breads!

• Fluff up the flour.
• Lightly spoon the flour into your dry-cup measurement, without packing it down. 
• Scrape off the excess with a straight edge by using the handle of a spoon or knife.

Dipping the cup into the flour will cause the flour to be packed down and will result in too much flour in your recipe, so do not do this!  Fluff it up, spoon and scrape off excess flour.

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Different Flour Types Serve Different Purposes

• Dry measuring cups are meant to be filled right up to the top and then leveled off with a straight edge.
• Liquid measuring cups generally have a pour spout and are made to be filled to the gradations on the side of the cup (¼ cup, ½ cup, 6 oz, etc.) rather than being filled right up to the top.

Here's 7 Basic Flours Most Commonly Used

I grew up on all-purpose flour, but have you noticed how many other 'flours' are out there?

All-Purpose Flour or AP Flour is the most commonly used type of flour for baked goods.  It is a combination of hard and soft wheat flour and it's bleached in the process.  Bleached flour is treated with chemical agents to speed up aging, while unbleached flour is bleached naturally as it ages.

AP falls in the mid-range of protein levels, which makes it the most appropriate choice for most baked goods like cookies, muffins, and pie crust (hence the name “all-purpose”).

Pro Tip: Look for an unbleached variety, which indicates that it has not been chemically treated to whiten and “soften” the flour.  

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Bread Flour is especially for bread making.  It is a hard wheat flour with a high protein content that yields a sturdier yeast bread, which is the main difference between bread flour and all-purpose flour. 

Bread flour, comes in white and whole wheat types and has a higher protein content than all-purpose, usually by 11-13%. it requires higher amounts of protein to produce lots of gluten.

Gluten is the stringy strands that give bread dough its stretch and elasticity, and baked bread its chewy factor.  Kneading dough develops a network of gluten strands that trap air and produce the airy holes characteristic of many breads.

Pro Tip: For a chewier result use bread flour in place of AP flour — in pizza dough, for instance—but you don't want to use it in place of cake or pastry flour, or in any baked goods that you want to be light and tender.

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Cake Flour is a soft wheat flour that contains a much lower protein content.  This flour produces a tender, velvety, delicate crumb. 

Pro Tip: You can use all-purpose flour in place of cake flour by using 2 Tablespoons less of all-purpose flour per cup.

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Self-Rising Flour is an all-purpose flour with salt and leavening already added in and it's not meant to be used in yeast bread. 

Do not substitute self-rising flour for all-purpose flour.  Also, you can substitute all-purpose flour for self-rising flour by adding 1 teaspoon of baking powder and ½ teaspoon salt to 1 cup all-purpose flour per 1 cup of self-rising flour.

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Unbleached Flour is all purpose flour that has not had any bleaching agents added during processing.  It takes longer to produce than bleached flour, which makes it more expensive.

Having a denser texture, unbleached flour provides more structure in baked goods, which makes it an ideal base for things like yeast breads, cream puffs, eclairs, and pastries.

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Whole Wheat Flour is flour in it's truest form. Milled from the entire red wheat kernel, it has a higher nutritional value and contains more fiber than other flours.

If you want to use whole wheat flour, you can substitute whole wheat flour for white flour by subtracting 2 tablespoons of whole wheat flour per cup of all-purpose flour. Best used in combination with all-purpose or bread flour.  

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Gluten Free Flour known as the allergy free flour might contain coconut flour, oat flour, rice flour, teff flour, tapioca flour, almond meal, sorghum flour, potato starch, garbanzo flour or buckwheat flour – just to name a few of the many options that could be a foundation for a gluten free flour blend.

These flours could also contain nut flours, made from very finely ground almonds or other nuts.

You can get a ton more information from Wheat Foods about more flour power!  🙂

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Here's a cool Popular Gluten Free Flours Chart from Swanson Vitamins

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