Do you really have to sift flour?
Are you also slightly nonchalant in the kitchen, and is the precision that baking with a capital B requires foreign to you? No shame, you’re not the only one! I’d also rather throw together an easy banana bread batter than glue on hand-crafted macaron decorations with a miniature brush. And sifting flour—be honest, do you dutifully do it? Then you need to read this…
Because “sift the flour” is one of those instructions that even the most impatient people often obediently follow in a recipe. But why, exactly, and can’t we (for goodness’ sake) just skip that step?
Does it really have to be that strict?
People often say that you absolutely have to sift flour, because without sifting you won’t get light, airy bakes. Flour can be packed into lumps in the packaging, and would such a lump in your batter also turn into a lump in your cake? Again, I’m certainly no advanced baker, but you always mix that flour with other ingredients anyway, and the dry ingredients even get combined in a separate bowl, right? So couldn’t you also break up any slightly clumped flour with a whisk? So many questions…
Convenience is king
Look, I understand that in the OLD DAYS, when flour didn’t come from a factory for most people, you had to sift your meal. Otherwise, you’d end up with bits of bran, germ and grit in your shortbread cookies (which, of course, is completely trendy again now). But by now, flour is by definition already heavily sifted (otherwise it’s still called meal), and cake flour even more so. So if you actually want sturdy bits in your flour, you choose wholemeal flour and know exactly what you’re getting.
So unless you’re a miller yourself, or you’re constantly grinding your own grain at home (compliments!), it seems clear to me that for a home baker like me, this is a step that can safely be skipped. What a relief; never again flour all the way into the baseboards… Maybe I’ll even bake more because of it!
Also read:
- 8 foods and drinks that make you fucking grumpy
- Why cooking shows are actually hell on earth
- How to make homemade cookies even tastier
