Do I sift before or after I measure? (2023)

Do you have to sift flour before measuring?

First, fluff up the flour in the bag or canister. Flour settles easily, becoming tightly packed inside a bag or jar. In order to make sure you're not scooping up packed flour, you should fluff it up with a spoon or fork before you measure it. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup.

That depends. For some desserts where the goal is to be light, delicate, and fluffy (think angel food cake, sponge cakes, and chiffon cakes), sifting flour is recommended. For desserts that are chewy or crisp like cookies, sifting flour isn't a must.

Putting your flour through a sifter will break up any lumps in the flour, which means you can get a more accurate measurement. Sifted flour is also much lighter and airier than unsifted flour and is easier to mix into other ingredients when making batters and doughs.

DO NOT: Never scoop the flour directly into your measuring cup. This packs the flour into your measuring cup and you can end up with significantly more flour than your recipe actually calls for.

The most accurate way to measure flour is with a digital scale. It removes the guesswork and will help you achieve consistent baking results. All of our recipes assume 1 cup = 120g (or 4.25 oz.) of flour.

Using either a sifter, a wire sieve, or a whisk, you can achieve the same results. It's really up to you which method is your favorite.

Sifting flour is important for a few reasons. First, it breaks up any clumps that may have formed, and, second, if you're mixing other dry ingredients together, such as baking soda or powder, it helps mix these items together so that everything distributes evenly in whatever you're baking.

A coffee mug, rice measuring cup or a measuring cup for wet ingredients won't give you the correct result! Don't pack the flour down as you're scooping with the spoon or by shaking the cup. Compressing the flour will give you an inaccurate result.

Spoon flour or other light, powdery dry ingredient into your measuring cup until it domes over the top. (Don't scoop with the cup and shake off the excess, as this will cause the ingredient to become slightly packed, and you'll end up with more than the recipe calls for.)

How do you properly measure?

How to Take Your Measurements. When taking your measurements, always use a cloth measuring tape*. For the most accurate results, have someone else measure you. Also, make sure the tape measure is held snugly and firmly (not tightly) against your body and is always parallel to the floor for circumference measurements.

“You will obtain better accuracy when measuring by weight… Also, it is easier to precisely measure weight than volume. Because much of cooking is about controlling chemical reactions based on the ratio of ingredients (say, flour and water), changes in the ratio will alter your results, especially in baking.”

Instead of dipping the measuring cup into the container of flour, use a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup, piling it slightly over the top. This prevents the flour from being packed so firmly in the cup that you would have more flour than the recipe calls for.

Powdered sugar should be sifted before measured or used. If you don't have a sifter, put the sugar in a fine sieve, place the sieve over a bowl or measuring cup, and gently tap the side. The equivalency is 1 3/4 cups packed powdered sugar to 1 cup granulated sugar.

How do I measure sifted flour? If a recipe calls for “1 cup of flour, sifted” — measure the flour, then sift it. If a recipe calls for “1 cup of sifted flour” — sift the flour then measure.

Obviously, a sifter—basically a cup with a strainer at the base—is the ideal tool, but if you don't have one, you can use a strainer. Hold a fine-mesh strainer (or sieve) over a bowl, add the flour to the strainer, and gently tap the side repeatedly until all of the flour has passed through the strainer.

It is best not to wash any sifter (the water would turn some of the flour into glue, clogging the holes). Shake it out instead and then store it in a dry place.

Can you skip sifting flour?

If your flour is not tightly compact, you may be able to skip the sifting process for some recipes. However, if you're making something that is meant to have a delicate texture, always sift your flour first. Recipes like angel food cake, for example, will require sifted flour.

Tips on Measuring Dry Ingredients

Scoop or spoon the flour into the measuring cup. Level it off with a flat edge, such as the back of a table knife. Do not pack the flour or tap the cup.

Lightly spoon flour into a graduated measuring cup or measuring spoon; never pack flour down or shake or tap the side of the measuring cup. Level off the dry ingredient with flat side of a knife.

Sifting the flour helped promote consistency in recipe results by removing the larger particles that could potentially result in densely textured baked goods or even ones that would sink in the middle.

If a recipe calls for “1 cup of flour, sifted” — measure the flour, then sift it. If a recipe calls for “1 cup of sifted flour” — sift the flour then measure. It all depends where the word “sifted” is in the ingredient wording. If “sifted” is before the ingredient name, sift before measuring.

The most important thing to remember is that unless the recipe specifically tells you to sift flour, don't sift it. Modern flour processors sift flour many times before it leaves the plant, so home bakers rarely need to repeat the process. Flour sold these days is ready to use right from the bag.

Sifting breaks up clumps, adds air to the flour, helps produce lighter cakes and pastries and makes measurements more uniform. Plus, a cup of sifted flour generally weighs 20-25 percent less than a cup of flour that has settled.

You Don't Need to Sift Together Ingredients

But in a recipe that calls for sifting ingredients for no other reason but to mix them, you can safely skip this step. If you want to mix together dry ingredients, mix them together. Sifting and mixing are two different things. However, there is a time when sifting may help.