The day I stopped sifting flour every single time

I learned to bake from my grandmother in the 90s and she sifted flour for everything, even cookies. For years I did the same, sifting every batch no matter what I was making. Then about 5 years ago I took a class at a small bakery in Portland and the instructor just dumped flour straight into the mixer without a second thought. I asked her about it and she said for cookies and quick breads it barely makes a difference, just whisk it a bit. Now I only sift for cakes or when I'm combining dry ingredients with something lumpy like cocoa powder. It saves me at least 10 minutes on a big baking day and I honestly can't tell the difference in most things. Has anyone else dropped an old habit like this and found it works fine?

2 comments

2 Comments

carr.brooke1mo ago

Oh man that reminded me of the time I decided to stop creaming butter and sugar by hand for cookies. I used to do it the old fashioned way with a wooden spoon until my arm would ache. Then one day I just threw it all in the stand mixer on medium speed and walked away for a minute. Came back and it was fluffier than anything I ever got by hand. Took me years to give up that habit and I felt real foolish about it.

norag661mo ago

Honestly that comment about just whisking it a bit changed my whole baking game too. I used to sift flour for banana bread every single time until I forgot once and it came out exactly the same. Ngl it felt like I'd discovered some huge secret that saved me so much hassle.