Today I’m sharing a short and simple (but very important) kitchen tip: How to measure flour the right way. One of the easiest ways to ruin your baked goods is to improperly measure your flour, and it’s shockingly easy to do! I’m going to briefly walk you through the right (and wrong) way to measure flour in this post (and I’ve included a super quick video below, too!).
Baking is a chemistry, and it probably comes as no shock to you that the way you measure your ingredients is critical to the success or failure of your recipe. Just about every recipe on my site uses more flour than just about any other ingredient (except maybe sugar) and knowing how to measure flour properly is critical.
If your homemade brownies have ever turned out too cakey, your chocolate chip cookies too flat, your birthday cake too dry or your sugar cookie dough too crumbly, you might have mis-measured your flour. I’ve been there and it’s not fun.
Today I want to make sure that never happens to you again!
So How Do I Measure My Flour?
DO:
Stir your flour in case it is packed tightly into its container. Then, use a spoon and lightly spoon the flour into your measuring cup. Use a flat straight edge (like the straight back of a knife) to level off the top of the flour. Repeat until you have a smooth (not pock-marked) flour surface.
Voila. That’s how it’s done. If you weigh the flour, it should weigh 125 grams or 4.4 oz (or at least very close to it), as pictured above.
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.
In the photo below I did not stir my flour and I just dipped the measuring cup into the container and then leveled it off. You can see I ended up with much more flour (21 grams more!) than when measured appropriately. If I were to measure my flour like this for a recipe that called for 3 cups of flour I would inadvertently end up using a full ½ cup more flour than the recipe calls for!
This leaves you with dry, crumbly cookie doughs and cookies, dense & dry cakes, and probably some confusion as to why your recipe didn’t turn out like it was supposed to!
Over-measuring the flour is the most common problem that it seems people run into, but under-measuring is also very possible! Most likely this would happen if your flour is fluffed up and you dip your measuring cup into the flour and end up with air pockets in the measuring cup. A less common problem than over-measuring, but still a problem!
My Number One Tip: Get a Scale & Use Weights!
If I can leave you with one piece of baking advice that has changed my own life for the better, it would be to move away from cups and get a scale. I’ve standardized my cup measurements after years of baking, and on my blog 1 cup of flour = 125g (or 4.4 oz).
However, my cup measurement doesn’t necessarily weigh as much as the next baker’s. If you go by weight measurements rather than cup measurements you know you’re using the exact amount that the recipe calls for.
I now always weigh my ingredients and it’s actually made baking so much easier. Bonus: I no longer have to wash half a dozen measuring cups when I’m finished baking.
This is the scale that I use (affiliate link). I bought it off of Amazon several years ago and have since bought a second one. It’s small and lightweight, inexpensive (around $12) and, most importantly, it’s accurate. Possibly one of my favorite and most important kitchen tools that I own.
How to Measure Using a Scale:
A few people wrote asking me exactly how to measure with a scale, so I wanted to clarify here. If you are using a scale, there is no need for measuring cups at all. To use a scale, I place the bowl that I will be combining all of my dry ingredients in on the scale. “Tare” or “zero” the scale (after you have placed the bowl on top) so it is not weighing the bowl. Then, add the amount of flour that you need.
Instead of weighing directly into the mixing bowl you can instead weigh into a separate small or medium-sized bowl the same way. I do this if I’m weighing an ingredient that isn’t the first ingredient in the bowl (for example if I’m adding sugar to an egg mixture), that way if I accidentally over-measure I don’t have to worry about scooping out just the ingredient I over-measured and not the other ingredients in the bowl.
More Kitchen Tips:
- Salted vs. Unsalted Butter — what’s the difference?
- How to Make an Easy Buttermilk Substitute
- How to Make a Perfect Easy Pie Crust
- How to Make a Graham Cracker Crust
IN SUMMARY: How to Measure Flour
It’s easy:
- Stir your flour in its container (in case it’s been packed tightly into the container or settled).
- Use a spoon to spoon the flour into your measuring cup.
- Level off the flour with a straightedge (I like to use the back of a knife, but make sure the back off the knife is actually flat and not curved). Repeat until the surface of the flour is smooth.
I never recommend sifting your flour unless the recipe you are using specifically indicates that you do so. Sifting before measuring will give you much less flour than you likely need.
OR
- Use a kitchen scale! On my blog 1 cup of flour equals 125 grams or 4.4 oz. This is the scale that I use and love.
To use a scale, simply place your mixing bowl on the scale, zero or “tare” the scale (so that it is no longer accounting for the weight of the bowl) and spoon the flour directly into the mixing bowl until you have the desired amount. No measuring cups required!
VIDEO
Kemi
Is your all purpose flour bleached or unbleached?
Sam
I use bleached flour. 🙂
Alicia
Baking is a science and cooking is an art. So weighing is much more precise. Do AP flour and SR weigh the same? I use SR flour for biscuits and sometimes they seem too dense.
Sam
Hi Alicia! That’s a great question. I do not have a standard for self rising flour as I don’t use it very often, that being said, I have researched this before and if I remember correctly self rising is slightly less than all purpose. I’m not sure it’s enough to make the biscuits really dense though. I hope this helps. 🙂
Carolyn
Excellent advice and site, I look forward to trying your recipes. For now, I’ve ordered two scales from your link. One for a friend and one for me!
Sam
I hope you love the recipes, Carolyn! And how generous of you to get a scale for a friend, too! 🙂
Kimberly Rodriguez
I make tons of sugar cookie dough and have always used the scoop with measuring cup method and always sift after measuring. I recently purchased a scale and was curious if I should weigh first then sift? Or do you think sifting is needed at all. I don’t want to end up with clumps in my cookies.
Sam
Hi Kmiberly! Unless the recipe calls for sifted flour you shouldn’t need to sift it. That being said, if you do want to sift it, it won’t matter whether you do it before or after you weigh it. 🙂
N
Hi! Do I always have to measure the flour like that? When I’m baking cookies, cupcakes or brownies etc and spooning the flour in the measuring cup, the dough becomes very loose. But when I just scoop up the flour out of the bag with measuring cup, the dough is nice and thick and I see big difference when it’s baked. (Spooning, cookies are not as soft and chewy. cupcakes are not as soft and moist). I’m just thinking is it necessary always measure the flour with spoon? Sorry for my bad English and I hope you understand what I mean. 🙂
Sam
For best results, yes, it is always best to scoop the flour this way. Some recipes are more forgiving than others and can handle more flour, but for consistent results you should spoon the flour into the measuring cup all the time. 🙂
janice hunt
I’m having a senior moment trying to find the post concerning bleached flour versus unbleached flour. I thought it was on your site but I have searched your recipes containing flour and baking tips and can’t find it. Can you help?
Sam
Hi Janice! I have not done a post on the differences, but in a quick summary unbleached flour has a more dense grain and a tougher texture than bleached flour does. Unbleached is really not going to be ideal for cakes, cupcakes, etc. 🙂
Steph
Thank you! I didn’t know there was difference in density I recently Star using unbleached because well I felt weird about bleached flour.
Janice Bahnman
Hello , may I ask if almond and coconut flour would follow the same weight?
Sam
Hi Janice! Unfortunately I haven’t weighed these myself as I don’t use them too often so I can’t say for sure. I’m sorry. 🙁
Paula M Campbell
If I may, in reply to Thomas SunHawk: My mom and grandmothers always sifted their flour before using, and this is the way I was taught. However, I have learned over the years of baking that flour has changed! It no longer (for some unforetold reason) needs sifting. It, to me, seems to be lighter that it was some 50 years ago. And I never use “bleached” flour, and it is still different. Perhaps not as dense as in years gone by? I always thought flour was flour, but I guess not anymore!
Wei
What about measuring Flour first then sift? Will it make any difference?
And if I want to make my own Self-raising Flour, what do u recommend? Many Thanks.
Sam
I wouldn’t sift the flour unless the recipe calls for it and then you have to pay attention to when you need to sift it. I haven’t tried making my own self rising flour yet so I can’t provide good information on that. 🙂
Island Gurl
Can I substitute heavy cream for buttermilk. Let me know, we are on 24 hour lock down and I only have heavy cream and whole milk.
Sam
You can actually make a buttermilk substitute you can use whole milk for. 🙂
Ladybee
Thank u ma will go and try ur recipe
I don’t actually use buttter milk in my came
But if am cutting my cake it use to crumble inside like it does not stick together pls ma wat should I do
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, I am not sure what cake recipe you are using to experience a crumbly cake. A lot of things could cause this to happen. It could be that you have over measured the flour, the cake batter was overmixed, it could be baked too long or your oven is running too high. I would love for you to try one of my cake recipes. Hopefully, you will have better results. Keep me posted on how it turns out for you! 🙂
Annie
How about sift before measuring? I’ve always sifted directly into measuring cup. Is this just the old – fashioned way of doing things?
Sam
Hi Annie! I do not recommend sifting (unless you have a recipe that specifically states that you do so). If you sift your flour before measuring/into the measuring cup you are likely to end up with a lot less flour than you actually need.
Thomas SunHawk
I enjoyed hearing your suggestions for measuring flour.
What about “sifting “? My mother and grandmother almost always sifted flour.
One other thing, I have been searching for an old fashioned “yeasty” tasting bread and roll recipe. I mean seriously yeasty tasting.
Thanx
I already receive your letters.
Sam
Hi Thomas! I don’t recommend sifting unless the recipe specifically indicates that you do so. Then, if you are using cups, you also want to note whether the recipe recommends sifting before or after measuring, as sifting before measuring will give you a lot less flour than if you sift after measuring. A sifted cup of flour would weigh less than the 125gram standard that I use.
I do have some yeast roll recipes but I wouldn’t particularly say that they are very “yeasty” tasting so I don’t think that’s quite what you’re looking for, unfortunately!
Faria Mehboob
Hey Sam, could you please also mention the grams of your teaspoon and tablespoon in your recipes? Since a slight levelness or heapness of measurement can be critical. That would help Alot 🙂
Sam
Hi Faria! I will try to remember to include these in the future. 🙂
Mary
Sam…should i weigh my flour for every recipe that i make? Can i use your calculation of 4.4 oz = 1 cup as standard?
Thanks so much!
Sam
Hi Mary! I do weigh my flour this way for all recipes. However, as sort of a disclaimer, this is my standard for every recipe on my blog and you would be safe using that measurement for any recipe I have here. Generally, for other sites, if weight measurements are listed I recommend you use the weights that are listed there. There really isn’t a set overall standard, which is the tricky thing, and I’ve seen websites range from 4-5oz as their own “standard”. Personally, I use my measurements anytime I make any other recipe (from cookbooks, etc.) and it has always worked well for me. I just want to make you aware that other bloggers or websites may measure differently (/incorrectly, at the risk of sounding pretentious!) than I do.
Niecey
How do you weigh on a scale in a measuring cup?
Sam
Hi Niecey! I generally don’t weigh into the measuring cup, I weigh directly into the bowl that I am using (no measuring cup needed!). I just showed it in the measuring cup here to help illustrate the post. I hope that helps!
Joy
This was so helpful!! Thanks!😃
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you, Joy! I am so glad that you found it helpful. 🙂