Sifting your flour before you bake

I learned to sift the flour when I was learning to cook. Flour now is pre-sifted and it is not neccasary to sift although it shouldn't hurt. And if you have problems with lumps in your flour it would be a good idea to do so.

Yes it does, mainly coz, it gives you fine flour that can do away with any lumb formation while mixing the flour.

I remember my mom sifting the flour too....and I can't remember the last time I did it....but then again I mostly use mixes for cakes etc....but that's a good question! Does it make things different in texture? Or why did they do it?

Back in the good old days when your Grandmother was baking it was most definitely necessary to sift the flour as it had lumps in it that would not mix when the liquid was added. So sifting kept the lumps from getting in the cakes, biscuits, etc & causing a raw spot...making for lousy eats. With the way flour is processed now days, I don't think it is necessary to sift. That cookbook may have been a reprint of some old recipes from back when sifting was really necessary. I'd say you can probably skip that step now days!!!

well when I was in cooking class in school we sifted the flour. because then it makes it more delicate and softer. u should try to do it.

I am not a big baker or one who cooks a lot. When I was in home economics in middle school (8 years ago) we always had to sift our flour. My parents recently went away to Europe and I asked if she has a sift in case I want to make cookies or something. She said "no....you do not really have to sift flour. It will not make that much of a difference." She is not a big cook either, so I do not know if she is correct hear. Does anyone know for a fact if sifting is better than not sifting?

I don't know how much of a difference it makes, but I never sift flour! The only thing I use my flour sifter for is putting flour on a board when I need to roll out dough or knead it for bread. I don't understand why there would be a difference. Sifted flour has more air in it, but after you mix in the liquid, it all goes away anyway. Or so it would seem.

I stopped bothering with sifting years ago, and it never made a bit of difference. It's a myth that your baked goods come out lighter. And once you've mixed all the dry ingredients together, you've lost any advantage about lumping. The only difference it makes is in how much flour you're measuring out. A cup of sifted flour has less flour in it than a cup just scooped out of the bag. For some recipes not sifting can make a different because it can make the mixture drier than it should be. All you have to do is scoop out a teaspoon or twho from the filled cup, and your dry/wet mixture will be fine. For me, sifting is just a waste of time. I've made all kinds of cakes, pie crusts, etc., without it.

Sifting puts air back into the flour that is lost during packaging and shipping. Also sifting makes the item you're baking much lighter...as in a cake. I have an old cake recipe that you don't sift the flour and it is a denser cake, while the other cake recipes I have call for sifting the flour and it creates a lighter fluffier cake. It would be the same with biscuits and breads too.

Yeah, years ago it sift and spoon. Sift. Then don't scoop or dig in but spoon the flour into the measuring cup, DON'T shake, but over fill and use a knife to level off. Now a days... even Martha Stewart, takes the measuring cup and dips in the canister and shakes it level. I used to do it the sifting way back when I was first married, but with all the baking I did and things changed....I don't scoop it, but spoon it ... directly from the canister and level with knife. I haven't noticed a bit of difference.

I have reached to a truce. I measure a bit less flour and sift it with a normal collander. The antique sifter disappeared from my life about 40 years ago. It does make the cakes smoother. I do it just for light cakes and torten. As for the rest, I don´t even measure anymore. Happy posting!

I use to sift my flour when I baked.Now I when I make biscuit or cakes I just use a biscuit or cake mix box so I do not have to sift. I do not know if it makes a different but I would assume that if that was one of the instruction then it must.

I guess if the flour you are buying is real pure and clean you dont have to sift. I worked in a pittza hut long time ago and i noticed they dont sift the flour to make the pittza base and i suppose its because it was imported and the flour was very clean, but here in India if you buy flour from local shops it will normally have tiny insects and worms also, in which case one will be compelled to sift, but some will not want to use that flour itself but you can also get very clean flour.