Why You Should Weigh Your Flour

Two bakers, one recipe, one cup of flour, and two very different cakes.

Scoop a measuring cup straight into a bag of flour and it packs down. You might get 150 grams. Spoon it in lightly and level it, and you get closer to 120. That difference explains a lot of dry cakes and tough cookies.

How to use a scale

1. Put your bowl on the scale and press tare, which resets it to zero.
2. Add the flour until you reach your target.
3. Press tare again and add the next ingredient to the same bowl.

There are fewer dishes and less math, and the result is the same every time.

Numbers to remember

We use these standard weights in our recipes:

• All-purpose flour: 120 g per cup
• Granulated sugar: 200 g per cup
• Packed brown sugar: 220 g per cup
• Butter: 113 g per stick

If you do not have a scale yet

Use the spoon and level method. Stir the flour to loosen it, spoon it into the cup and sweep the top flat with a knife. Do not tap the cup. Do not press it down.

When exact amounts matter most

Bread and pastry are the least forgiving. A pot of soup can handle improvising, but a sponge cake cannot. Our Baker’s Conversions towel keeps the numbers close, and the scale takes care of the rest.