How to Measure Dry Ingredients

By: TheBestDessertRecipes.com Test Kitchen

Sometimes having the perfect amount of flour or other dry ingredients can really make a difference in your baking. These easy-to-follow tips for how to measure dry ingredients will help you bake as accurately as possible. Baking requires more precision than cooking, so learning how to measure your dry ingredients precisely ensures the best taste. Believe it or not, baking is at heart a type of chemisty. All those ingredients react to each other once you mix them together, and measuring ingredients accurately can sometimes make a huge difference in the texture and taste of your dessert. This baking How-To video will help you make the best dessert possible. You can also follow along with the step-by-step instructions.

How to Measure Dry Ingredients

1. "Scoop and sweep." The scoop and sweep method is probably something you've used before. Simply scoop up your dry ingredients with a measuring cup or spoon, and then use the flat back of a knife to sweep off the excess. This easy extra step doesn't take much time at all, and will help you measure out the right amount of dry ingredients every time.

2. Pay attention to how your recipe talks about sifted ingredients. Recipes, especially those for baked goods, often include the instruction to sift things such as flour, powdered sugar, or cocoa. This is to remove any clumps which may have formed during storage and will result in a smoother, lighter batter or a fluffy powder for topping desserts.

How the recipe is written makes a difference in the result:

1 cup flour, sifted

is not the same quantity as

1 cup sifted flour

Be sure to notice what the recipe says.

You can use an old-school sifter, which is made expressly for this purpose, or a multi-use item that may already be in your kitchen, a fine wire sieve. For either one, first measure the dry product by the spoon and sweep method. Then place into the sifter and squeeze or turn the handle – or tap the sides of the sieve to shake the contents through. Discard any lumps that remain.