How To Measure Flour

As a food blogger, I try to provide my readers with great recipes that have been tested thoroughly in my kitchen. However, sometimes a recipe that worked well for me turns out a little less than perfect for a reader.
I am always willing to help my readers figure out what may have caused a variance in the texture, flavor, yield, color, etc. because as a baker, I learn from your experiences as well as my own. Typically the first question I ask is, “How did you measure the flour?”
I always thought dipping the measuring cup directly into the flour sack was an accurate means of measurement. However, when I started to teach myself how to bake – I realized this method can be pretty inaccurate.
Flour measurements can be one of the biggest variables when it comes to the finished product. Weighing ingredients is by far the most accurate, but not a common practice here in the U.S. If you’re an Alton Brown fan – like I am – you know from Good Eats, that this is pretty much the only way he measures dry ingredients.
A digital scale can come in pretty handy and is useful for more than just measuring your sugar and flour – I use mine a lot to weigh small packages for click and ship labels via USPS, they are also great for figuring out correct portions of meat and other items if you happen to watching your waistline.
If you don’t own a scale, when it comes to dry ingredients, you’re more than likely using a measuring cup. Many people use them with perfect results. But be aware that they can be incredibly inaccurate depending upon the method of adding the ingredient to the cup that you use.
Although I grew up using both liquid and dry measuring cups, I’ve come to realize through blogging that a lot of people don’t own both types of cups and some don’t know that two types of measuring cups exist. So, let’s start with the basics – if you’re going to bake, I strongly recommend picking up a set of dry measuring measuring cups as well as at least one liquid measuring cup. Both can be found in pretty much any store including places like Target, Amazon, the grocery store and even the dollar store.
I decided to conduct a little kitchen experiment and measure a cup of all-purpose flour two ways.
Here were the results:
- Scooping a measuring cup into the flour and leveling: 6 oz in weight
- Spooning the flour into a measuring cup and leveling: 4.25 oz in weight
Pretty big difference, right? Especially when it comes to baking. Because just a couple extra ounces of flour can really change the texture of a baked good.
The important thing to remember is that, much like brown sugar, flour packs. Scooping the ingredient with your measuring instrument will cause packing. Packing flour can add up quickly.
If you have a recipe with 3 cups of flour, and you scoop using your measuring up, you’d end up with 18 oz of flour, when in reality you should have 12.75 oz of flour.
That’s nearly an extra 3/4 cup of flour in your recipe!
That can dramatically change the results you get from a finished baked good.
Now, I know that not everyone has a scale – that’s okay because I am going to explain how to get a pretty accurate measurement without the use of a scale.
How To Measure Flour
- Use a spoon to fluff up the flour within the container.
- Use a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup.
- Use a knife or other straight edged utensil to level the flour across the measuring cup. King Arthur Flour has a plastic straight edge that I keep in my flour bin at all times for just this purpose.
Commonly Used Weight Measurements
All measurements are in weight ounces, not fluid ounces.
Flours
- all-purpose flour 1 cup weighs 4.25 ounces
- cake flour 1 cup weighs 4 ounces
- bread flour 1 cup weighs 4.25 ounces
Sugars
- granulated white sugar 1 cup weighs 7 ounces
- confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar); unsifted 1 cup weighs 4 ounces
- light or dark brown sugar; packed 1 cup weighs 7.5 ounces
Butter
- butter 1 cup weighs 8 ounces
I also definitely recommend printing out a copy of this Master Weight Chart from King Arthur Flour. I laminated mine because I am kind of a messy baker. The list hangs from the side of my fridge, and I can honestly say it is one of my most used kitchen resources. And if you’re a visual person – like me, take a few seconds to watch this video from King Arthur Flour.
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Very helpful!! Thanks
Thank you so much for this resource! This is exactly what budding bakers like myself need! I am planning on buying a digital scale.
Leah-
Thanks for stopping by – you definitely will not regret the purchase of a digital scale. Have a great day.
-Jamie
I have a question about the writer of the recipe.. Do we assume they scooped the flour in the way described here? Thanks for this post!!
Ashley-
I always spoon the flour into the cups and then sweep off the excess. Hope this helps.
-Jamie
I already adore your website and this just totally made my day! I bake all the time and I never knew about spooning v. scooping.
<3
You say 1 cup of AP flour weighs 4.25oz. Is that including the weight of the cup?
No, it doesn’t include the weight of the cup. First place the cup on the scale, second zero the scale out, and third then weigh the flour. :-)
I think you may have singlehandedly saved my Thanksgiving. This is super helpful — thanks SO MUCH!!
Thanks so much girl! I am the pastry chef at a restaurant in LA and sometimes doing the work to figure out conversions is just not a quick enough option. Your chart saved me some time! Helpful stuff! Thanks!
Seriously helpful article!! Thanks so much. Guess I need to buy a scale but in the meantime, your article and the link to King Arthur’s Flour’s chart saved my butt for a recipe I needed to make today! Thank you!
How embarrassing, I had no idea about all this! My baked goods always turn out pretty well, but this has the potential to really improve them. I’m always careful to not intentionally pack the flour when I’m scooping it out (with the cup, oops) and I even whisk it beforehand sometimes, but I definitely haven’t used the non-digital baking scale sitting in my cupboard. Learning something new every day! Can’t wait to try out the pumpkin bread recipe with my new skills :D
Hannah-
Oh, I am so happy to hear you learned a little something from this post! You’ll love the pumpkin bread – I promise. Happy baking and thanks so much for stopping by!
-Jamie
Thank you so much. for the info on measuring cups.
This conversion information was really helpful for a recipe I’m making that had granulated sugar measured out in ounces. Thanks so much!!
Do I sift the flour first and then measure or measure and then sift? Some recipes mention the amount and flour required and then sift. I just came across a pastry recipe that suggests sifting the flour and then measuring the required amount.
I am confused. Please help.
Usha, I think most people measure then sift. I would do that unless the recipe specifies otherwise.
– Jamie
If a recipe calls for sifted flour, do you sift before or after measuring the flour? Thanks so much.
Michelle, you sift it after you measure it.
– Jamie
So I just ran across this recipe (found here: http://feelingfoodish.com/white-velvet-butter-cupcakes-with-vanilla-buttercream-frosting/ ), and it shows the measurements in cups and in ounces… I bring this up because I feel like the flour measurement is wrong, and I would like your opinion on the matter… It says 3 cups sifted cake flour or 10.5 ounces… Is it less because it’s sifted first? (I’m under the assumption that it should equal out to 12 ounces since one cup of cake flour is four ounces…). I’m making 120 of these cupcakes (plus a two tier cake – different recipe) for my brother-in-law’s wedding this weekend, and I am making a list of the amount of ingredients I need because the bride is insisting on at least paying for the ingredients (bless her heart), and I don’t want to accidentally buy too much and overcharge her… Thoughts? Advise? Thank you in advance! :-) … I should also mention that I have made these dozens of times using regular dry measuring cups, sifting the flour first, and then scooping the flour into the measuring cup and leveling it off… They always come out beautifully (FANTASTIC bakery-style texture), but I figure adding up the ingredients in ounces will help me get a better idea of the amount of ingredients to buy. Thanks, and sorry for the rambling!
You might contact the site with the recipe and check with them. It’s hard for me to say without having made the recipe.
-Jamie
Does it matter what type of spoon we use to scoop the flour and then put in our measuring cup?
Any spoon will work. Thanks for stopping by.
-Jamie
Updated link for the weight chart: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipe/master-weight-chart.html
Sandy-
Thanks for stopping by with that updated link.
-Jamie
Thank you so much! I am a huge Alton fan which is why I bought a scale. My cake has been coming out pretty dense and I love how your blog breaks down the measuring and weighing so I can now always make sure I have the right amount of flour.
Carrie-
I’m so glad that you found this post helpful. Thanks for stopping by.
-Jamie
Hi! I just wanted to add something to your post. I live in the Denver area, and I used to weigh all my dry ingredients. I would have issues with my breads and cake and cupcakes falling in the middle. After much trial and error I have discovered that when cooking at altitude it is important to add an extra 1/4 cup of flour to keep things from sinking in the middle.
Thanks!
Thanks so much, Sara! I appreciate your insight. Have a great day!
-Jamie
ok, if a recipe call for lets say 2 cups of Sifted flour then you should sifted first then measured out.
now if a recipe calls for 2 cups of flour sifted then you measure it then sift it.
it all depends on which way the recipe is written. so if the word sifted comes before the word flour you have to sift it first then measure, and if it comes after the word flour then you can measure it then sift it.
just look at the order of the words.
sifted flour – sift first
flour sifted – sift second.
hope this can helps every one out.
Thanks, Emily!
Hi,
your recipes are really good and easy to make! I just wonder from all your recipes what is the “best seller”? :)
Hi, Tam! I would say The Best Chocolate Cake is pretty popular: https://www.mybakingaddiction.com/the-best-chocolate-cake-recipe/. Thank you so much for your kind words!
If only people would realize that weighing dry ingredients is really the best way to bake. I am APPALLED to see “bakers” on TV digging into the flour, (Food Network take a look). I am beginning to think that some of my recipes don’t come out because they are written with incorrect measuring techniques, especially nice PLUMP chocolate chip cookies recipes. After baking for 40 years, I refuse to take the blame for misdirected recipes. It’s frustrating.
Thank you for finally educating people on this really important baking technique.
Thanks so much for your feedback, Chippy! I couldn’t agree more. Have a great day.
-Jamie
Thanks so much for this. I’m so frustrated with online bread recipes. I weigh my flour for consistency and inevitably I find that the recipe writer scooped from the bag to get their measurements and then I’m hastily adding extra flour to a sodden mess. The most frustrating part is that I’m not sure that my end result is what was intended by the writer.
At least now I know that there can be a 50 gram difference per cup and make adjustments more quickly depending on what the dough looks like.
hi there
just to share my experience. I live in the UK (but I am Italian). when I started cooking many yrs ago I decided, after reading about and experiments, that I would adopt the following 1 cup AP flour = 150 g= 5,37 oz. I got this from a seminal book on baking: English Bread and Yeast Cookery by Elizabeth David. In the course of the years I have then come across rather different formulas, the most typical being 1 cup AP = 4.25 oz. I tried few times and yet, time and time again, with the flour available here in the UK, 1 cup AP always weights 150 g with my scale.
I have come across your blog by accident and I have just given a go with your quantities…. again: what I got was 1 cup AP = 150 g!!
this is not to say that your conversion is wrong (or mine, for the matter), but just to re-inforce what you say: only a digital scale gives accurate measurements – and in baking that is very important. thanks
ciao
stefano
Thanks so much, Stefano!
would it be okay if I put the put the gluten in the measuring cup and see how high it would go?
I think that would be fine! Let me know how it goes!
What about sifting?
Hi, Tracy! Generally, commercial flour doesn’t need to be sifted. Sifting will aerate the flour and make the batter not be so heavy, so if you’re making a cake and would like to sift the flour, you can certainly do so, but it’s really not necessary. I hope this helps!
I’ve always just used measuring cups, but I’ve recently heard that using a scale can be better to use. It’s an added bonus that it can help you watch your waistline. Hopefully, I can find one for a decent price.
The trouble with using a table knife in leveling is that those who design flatware design for looks, not for usefulness as a straightedge.
If your table knives have straight back edges, fine. But if they don’t, and you don’t have a leveler for measuring cups, I suggest going to where they sell school supplies and buying a six-inch ruler.
Fluffing flour is that the reason we used a sifter. I remember putting flour in sifter while baking cookies with my mother. Never been a real baker. But this tip has made me to believe the reason my stuff never turns out as goodthe reciepe. I also seen sone pics of recipes people have cooked and it didntvlook like the pic. A matter if simple measurements makes a difference. So i will get me a scale. Thanks we’ll see if it makes a difference in my baking.
Thanks so much for stopping by, Debbie! I appreciate you taking the time to comment. Happy Baking and Good Luck!
-Jamie
I love to make homemade pizza dough but I would like to pre-measure out the flour and put it in plastic bags so I can just grab one instead of having to measure it out each time. Will this cause me any problems in how my dough rises or anything because the flour is compacted in the plastic bags for awhile?
Hi Nancy – You should be fine! Just give the flour a little “fluff” with a whisk before you use it. Hope this helps! Happy baking.
Jamie