Weight of flour
Cooks Illustrated says one cup of flour weighs 5 ounces and they use that amount in their recipes. (I understand that different flours weigh a bit differently). However most other chefs say flour weighs 4.5 ounces. What weight should I use for recipes that are not Cooks Illustrated recipes? Frankly the differing amounts make a difference in the baking products. Should I use 5 ounces for Cooks Illustrated recipes and 4.5 ounces for all other recipes?
Comments
Hi Sharon - Flour weights per cup are all over the map. That's because they are determined by taking an average weight of a sample of people measuring flour by cup using the dip-and-sweep method *or* spooning method - two very different methods which can produce wildly different results. Every person in the experiment is a variable - some people have a heavy hand, others packs more tightly, etc. - and each experiment may use different methods to achieve their results. Even the weather that day can affect them. We did our own experiment here at Milk Street and came to 130 grams per cup (about 4.5 ounce) in order to have consistency across our recipes. In my opinion, all baking recipes should be developed and written using weight measurements since the ingredient balance when baking is so critical. However, since not everyone does, I would probably go with 4 1/2 ounces per cup. I find the Cooks Illustrated number a bit of an outlier when you look at other baking experts' numbers. I can't be sure it will work for you across the board (obviously use the CI measurement for their recipes), but I think it's probably the closest to "standard." Good luck! Best, Lynn C.