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The most common mistake I see with beginner bakers is that they don’t know how to properly measure flour for baking. I know what you’re thinking…“Can too much or too little flour really ruin my baked good?” The answer is absolutely!!! Every good recipe is strategically developed using ratios. Here are some common examples of ratios:
Pound cake: 1 part flour, 1 part butter, 1 part sugar, 1 part egg
Pie crust: 3 parts flour, 2 parts fat, 1 part water
Muffins: 2 parts flour, 2 parts liquid, 1 part egg, 1 part fat
As you can see, every recipe you follow has a specific ratio whether you’re aware of it or not.
So what happens when I add too much flour?
When you add more flour than the recipe calls for, you’re adding more gluten. Gluten is one of the proteins found in flour that gives your baked goods structure. An example of a high-gluten product is bread. A low gluten product would be a cake. If you had a cake that had the texture of bread, would you want to eat it? Probably not. That sounds terrible. Adding extra flour gives your baked product a chewier, thicker texture. Sometimes, like in my Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies , this can be intentional. You can use flour to manipulate a recipe into the texture you want. This is especially popular in cookies. However, adding too much flour to something as delicate as a spiced rum cupcake can turn it into a tough, chewy mess.
Adding too much flour can also give you a dry, crumbly product. Have you ever had a really dry scone or biscuit and your mouth just felt like the desert after? Cause same. This is the result of too much flour!! You may notice that I typically use less flour than other bakers in my scone recipes so that the scones stay super tender.
So what happens when I add too little flour?
Adding too little flour does the exact opposite. It will give you a baked good with a very weak structure that can’t even hold its shape. I love Crumbl, but have you ever tried to pick up some of their cookies? They immediately, fall apart because there’s SO much butter in them and not enough flour to counter it. You can see this in box cake mix sometimes too. The structure breaks and soon as you try to frost it because it doesn’t have enough flour in it to hold its structure.
Time for a science experiment
We’re going to compare three different methods of weighing flour and see which one is the most accurate. (Hint: it’s weighing your ingredients) We are going to use the weighing method, the spoon and level method, and the scoop method. One cup of flour should weigh 125 grams.
Weighing method
As you may have guessed, this method involves weighing your flour on a food scale. When I started baking, I avoided a food scale for so long because I thought they were too expensive. Little did I know, you can buy one for $10 on Amazon that will last for years! Weighing your flour in grams is truly the only way to get an accurate bake every single time.
How to measure flour in grams
Use a separate bowl to measure your flour. Turn the scale on and place the bowl you plan to use to measure your flour. Be sure to zero out (tare) your scale!!! Once the scale shows zero, slowly scoop flour into the bowl until you get the exact amount in grams. Super simple and accurate!
Pros: You get the exact amount every time!
Cons: Requires a food scale.
The spoon and level method
For this method, you will need a spoon, butter knife, and a measuring cup. This is the second best method to measure flour. The experiment proved this method almost perfect! One cup of flour is 125 grams. The spoon and level method test resulted in 124 grams of flour. That’s pretty dang close!
How to use the spoon and level method
First, take your empty measuring cup in one hand and your spoon in the other. Over your flour bag or a large empty bowl, use your spoon to scoop flour into your measuring cup. Repeat this until your measuring cup has a nice mound of flour that covers the whole cup. Be sure the flour fills all the edges of the cup as well!! Once the whole cup is filled/overflowing, use the back side of your butter knife (opposite of the sharp side, NOT the handle) to scrape off the excess flour. You can do this by placing the knife evenly starting at the base of the measuring cup (where the handle is) and ensure the knife stays touching the edges of the cup the whole time. You should end with a flat, even, measuring cup full of flour.
Pros: This method is the most accurate you can get without a food scale.
Cons: This method kind of makes a mess of your kitchen. It is also very tedious, especially when you have to measure several cups of flour.
The scoop method
The scoop method is the least accurate of all of the methods tested here today. And, unfortunately, it’s the most commonly used method in America! I have to admit, I was guilty of this method for quite some time… Not proud, but there ya have it! This method resulted in 155 grams of flour. That’s an extra 20 grams of flour per cup!! If you are using this method in a recipe that requires 3 cups of flour, you could be adding almost an extra half cup of flour.
How to use the scoop method
This method involves sticking your measuring cup directly into your flour container and using it to scoop the flour up. From there, you can either shake off the excess from the cup, or use the side of the flour bag to pack it down and get rid of the excess. Sound familiar? 😉 I tried both shaking off the excess and using the side of the bag to get off the excess. Shaking it off resulted in 155 grams of flour whereas using the side of the bag resulted in 166 grams! Crazy!!
Pros: Easy and convenient.
Cons: Literally everything else. It’s incredibly inaccurate and will likely result in tough, dry baked goods.
Conclusion
I highly, highly recommend using a food scale to measure your ingredients! I started doing it years ago and never looked back. The quality of your baked goods will improve drastically. Trust me!! It is one of The Top 5 Baking Essentials For Beginners That Won’t Break The Bank I always recommend to new bakers. If you are unable to get a food scale, stick to the spoon and level method. I know it’s a little tedious, but I promise you will notice the difference.
