Baking: When to Use Grams vs Cups

[bakingnewb]

I am not exactly new to baking but I would say I merely dabble. I have always just followed a recipe...sometimes it would work out and sometimes it would end up in the trash. But now that my daughter has been diagnosed with severe peanut and treenut allergies, I have to start baking more frequently.

I am in the process of making cake donuts. The recipe calls for 540 grams of all-purpose flour or 4 1/3 cups. I usually just go off the volume (cups) but this time I figured I'd go off of weight. When I weighed out 540 grams, it came out to under 4 cups (closer to 3 3/4). I did NOT sift the flour. When a recipe calls for flour, does it assume that the flour is sifted and, therefore, more voluminous? The dough is currently hydrating in my fridge for the next 24 hours. It was very tacky so I am concerned there wasn't enough flour, but I followed the recipe per weight.

Do you folks normally stick with the weight and to he## with the cup measurement?

 

[Norcalbaker59]

(I swear I just posted this question but it seems to have disappeared so here it is again.)

I am not exactly new to baking but I would say I merely dabble. I have always just followed a recipe...sometimes it would work out and sometimes it would end up in the trash. But now that my daughter has been diagnosed with severe peanut and treenut allergies, I have to start baking more frequently.

I am in the process of making cake donuts. The recipe calls for 540 grams of all-purpose flour or 4 1/3 cups. I usually just go off the volume (cups) but this time I figured I'd go off of weight. When I weighed out 540 grams, it came out to under 4 cups (closer to 3 3/4). I did NOT sift the flour. When a recipe calls for flour, does it assume that the flour is sifted and, therefore, more voluminous? The dough is currently hydrating in my fridge for the next 24 hours. It was very tacky so I am concerned there wasn't enough flour, but I followed the recipe per weight.

Do you folks normally stick with the weight and to he## with the cup measurement?

540 g ÷ 4 = 135 g/cup

There is no standard for weight to volume for flour. Recipe developers arbitrarily decide.

Depending on the recipe developer a “cup” of flour is anywhere from 120 g to 145 g.

For example, King Arthur Flour uses 120 g/cup.

Yet 145 g/cup is used by America’s Test Kitchen; most Serious Eats; some Stella Parks; Milk Street; Cook’s Country; Ina Garten; vintage recipes

Dorie Greenspan's recipes are about 136g/cup. Anna Olsen is a whopping 150g/cup for most recipes.

baking by weight is the most accurate
as recipes are a percentage by weight of each ingredients to the weight of flour.

in other words, the amount (weight) of each ingredient is based on the weight of the flour.

Volume is the amount of space some thing takes up. Volume measurement is totally inaccurate because you can pack as little or more of an ingredient in a cup. A “cup” can hold up to 155 g or more of flour.

When you bake by weight, the amount of each ingredients will always be the same from batch to batch. 135 g flour will always be 135 g flour; 265 g sugar will always be 265 g sugar; 3 g salt is always 3 g salt; 10 baking powder is always 10 g baking powder. when using volume measurement (cup and measuring spoons) you never know the exact weight of each ingredient. And it changes each time you measure ingredients.


For example, stirring the flour, then lightly spooning it into a measuring cup will result in less flour in the cup than dipping the measuring cup into the flour container, then leveling it off. Dipping into the flour compacts the flour; so significantly more flour is in the cup.

Depending on how the measuring cup is filled, there can be anywhere from 115 g to 155 g or more in the cup.

Flour is not sifted before measuring by volume, unless the directions specifically states to sift before measuring it. Sifting fluffs the flour up, so less flour by weight is in the cup. Nonetheless, when using a measuring cup it’s anyone’s guess the actual weight of the flour.

There is no need to sift before measuring when using weight measurement. 135 g flour is always 135 g flour--sifting will not change the weight.

If you used weight measurements for all the ingredients, then the dough should be at the correct hydration level. When you used volume measurement in the past, you were actually using more flour than the recipe actually called for.

 

[retired baker]

(I swear I just posted this question but it seems to have disappeared so here it is again.)

I am not exactly new to baking but I would say I merely dabble. I have always just followed a recipe...sometimes it would work out and sometimes it would end up in the trash. But now that my daughter has been diagnosed with severe peanut and treenut allergies, I have to start baking more frequently.

I am in the process of making cake donuts. The recipe calls for 540 grams of all-purpose flour or 4 1/3 cups. I usually just go off the volume (cups) but this time I figured I'd go off of weight. When I weighed out 540 grams, it came out to under 4 cups (closer to 3 3/4). I did NOT sift the flour. When a recipe calls for flour, does it assume that the flour is sifted and, therefore, more voluminous? The dough is currently hydrating in my fridge for the next 24 hours. It was very tacky so I am concerned there wasn't enough flour, but I followed the recipe per weight.

Do you folks normally stick with the weight and to he## with the cup measurement?

you'll be way ahead to ditch that crazy recipe, just grab one from youtube.

 

[Siwsan]

I am not exactly new to baking but I would say I merely dabble. I have always just followed a recipe...sometimes it would work out and sometimes it would end up in the trash. But now that my daughter has been diagnosed with severe peanut and treenut allergies, I have to start baking more frequently.

I am in the process of making cake donuts. The recipe calls for 540 grams of all-purpose flour or 4 1/3 cups. I usually just go off the volume (cups) but this time I figured I'd go off of weight. When I weighed out 540 grams, it came out to under 4 cups (closer to 3 3/4). I did NOT sift the flour. When a recipe calls for flour, does it assume that the flour is sifted and, therefore, more voluminous? The dough is currently hydrating in my fridge for the next 24 hours. It was very tacky so I am concerned there wasn't enough flour, but I followed the recipe per weight.

Do you folks normally stick with the weight and to he## with the cup measurement?

I primarily use weight when measuring for baking, but I have found that often I have to add flour when I convert cups to grams.

 

[Sweet1]

I prefer recipes that define weight rather than cup, but also often the recipes have cups instead of gramm.... :/ If I'm not feeling confident about the recipe (and that is many times :/// ) or unsure about pan sizes and such, I also rely on some handy apps to make the recipe as best as possible for me: cake calculator for example, or something else. But yeah, it is quite useful sometimes.

Cake Calculator - Recipe ingredients calculation - I Love This Shop

Did you ever look at a recipe and think "This is waaaay to much cake for me!" and then struggled to figure out how to adapt the quantities of ingredients to the desired amount of cake that you wanted to get? We got you covered!

ilovethisshop.com.au

Also, Im trying to find recipes that are just for me. Since I am still not a "senior"at baking, I dont like to improvise a lot for now.

 

[cinnamonsugarr]

I never use cups

 

[retired baker]

In conclusion, it is recommended to use grams for more accurate measurements when baking, especially for recipes that require precise measurements such as baking cakes and pastries. However, both methods have their own advantages, and it depends on the preference and experience of the cook.

thats it, whatever works for you is the best way.
weights are better suited for scaling recipes up and down in larger quantities than home baking encounters.

My basic croissant recipe is 35 lbs flour, the easiest way to get that is weigh 15lb from a full 50lb bag and that leaves 35lb in the bag which goes straight into the mixer.

vs measuring 550 cups.

Even when weighing everything for accuracy there was rarely a time when I didn't have to add either water or more flour to achieve the right consistency due to humidity content in the flour. even measuring by weight i've had to add a pint of water to a dry flour or half a 3lb scoop of flour to a humid flour and it often varies from bag to bag in the same delivery.

A pint of water will always be a pound but a 50 lb bag of flour can absorb considerably more weight than the weight indicated on the bag. A bag of flour in humid florida is not the same as the same bag in arizona.
In a small home recipe its not a problem.

 

[EdwardGuerra]

When a recipe provides both weight and volume measurements for ingredients like flour, it assumes that the weight measurement is more accurate. Flour can vary in density, and using weight ensures consistency. Sifting can introduce air, making the volume measurement less precise. In your case, you did the right thing by following the weight measurement. The tackiness may be due to other factors like humidity or variations in flour brands. If the dough is excessively sticky after chilling, you can gently incorporate a bit more flour before shaping the donuts. Stick with the weight measurement for more reliable results in your baking, especially when precision matters.

 

[Mona]

Using weight measurements, like grams, is more accurate than cups because flour can vary in volume depending on how it's measured. Recipes usually assume flour isn't sifted unless stated otherwise. Since you measured 540 grams, you're on the right track, even if it feels different. Your dough might feel tacky now, but trusting the weight measurement will likely give you more consistent results. Stick with the weight and see how it bakes up—you're doing great!

 

[Jessie_Roos]

Great question—baking can definitely be tricky, especially when it comes to measuring ingredients. Generally, whether a recipe calls for sifted or unsifted flour can affect the final result, so it’s good to clarify.

In most cases, recipes specify if the flour should be sifted or not. If it doesn’t, it’s usually safe to assume it’s unsifted. Sifted flour tends to be more voluminous, which is why you might see a discrepancy between weight and volume measurements. For instance, 1 cup of sifted flour weighs less than 1 cup of unsifted flour.

Since you weighed the flour and it came out to 540 grams, you’re following the recipe correctly by weight, which is often more accurate than using cups. If your dough is tacky, it could be due to a few reasons: maybe the flour wasn’t incorporated well, or the recipe’s hydration levels are higher. Since you’re refrigerating the dough, this might also help it firm up a bit.

If you’re concerned about the dough, you could try adding a bit more flour (in small increments) until it reaches a more manageable consistency. Just be careful not to overdo it, as adding too much flour can affect the texture of your donuts.

In the future, if a recipe provides weights, it’s usually best to stick with those for consistency. Cups can vary based on how you measure (scooping vs. spooning), so weighing ingredients is often the more reliable method.

Happy baking, and I hope your donuts turn out great!

 

[Mona]

It's great that you’re diving deeper into baking, especially with your daughter’s allergies in mind! To answer your question, most baking recipes do assume that flour is sifted unless stated otherwise. This means that using cups for measuring without sifting could lead to using more flour than intended, which might explain the discrepancy you noticed.

Using weight (grams) is often more accurate, especially in baking where precision can make a big difference. Many experienced bakers prefer grams over cups because it reduces the chances of error. If your dough is tacky, you might consider adding a bit more flour, but keep in mind that the hydration process can change the texture after it sits in the fridge.

For your next bakes, if you can, stick with the weight measurements for consistency, and perhaps invest in a kitchen scale if you haven’t already. It’ll make things much easier and more reliable in the long run. Happy baking, and I hope those donuts turn out great!