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Too much flour can turn baked goods dry, dense, and crumbly. Stop scooping directly from the bag, and learn the right way to measure flour using the spoon-and-level method — it’s the easiest way to ‘level’ up your baking and get consistent results.
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I never encountered a kitchen scale until I was an adult. Thanks to America’s curious resistance towards adopting the metric system, I grew up thinking cups were the way to measure.
Not only that, but I used to dunk the entire measuring cup straight into the bag of flour and call it a day.
Turns out, a cup can end up with more or less flour depending on the measuring method, the type of flour, and even the measuring cup itself. No wonder why my cookies never used to spread properly…
Volume vs. Weight
There’s a common misconception that “one cup” has a fixed weight or that a 250ml cup always equals 250g. In practise, the same volume of different ingredients can have vastly different weights.
The classic example is: one cup of lead vs. one cup of feathers. Take a guess which one is going to weigh more!
To further the confusion, the same volume of the same ingredient (hello, flour) can also have different weights. It all comes down to density. The more densely an ingredient is packed into a cup, the more that cup will contain, and therefore the more it will weigh.
Why You Should Never Scoop Flour
Flour is made up of fine particles that can either be compressed or aerated depending on how it’s handled.
If you’re scooping your flour, you may be inadvertently adding too much flour to your baked goods.
TEST: Take a look at the photos below. The flour on the left was measured by spooning it in a cup and levelling the top with a knife, whereas the flour on the right was measured by scooping directly from the bag with the cup.
That’s a 30g difference — equal to a whopping 3-4 tablespoons of extra flour! In baking, that’s enough excess flour to weigh down a sponge cake or make muffins tough and gummy.
The Best Way to Measure Flour
Nowadays, I use a kitchen scale 99% of the time — it’s always my first recommendation because weight measurements are consistent, precise, and repeatable.
What if I don’t have a scale?
Buying a scale can be both a financial investment and a learning curve — I get it. That’s why I always provide equivalent cup measurements in all my recipes.
Thankfully, the spoon-and-level method was developed as a simple, reliable way to measure flour by volume, minimising these inconsistencies.
About My Flour Measurements
When baking without my kitchen scale, I use Australian 250ml cups, and I measure my flour with the spoon-and-level method.
Even with a consistent method, the weight can vary between 125g and 135g per cup of plain flour. I’ve averaged this out to 130g, which I use as my baseline across all of my recipes.
How to Use The Spoon-and-Level Method
- Fluff the flour – Flour can settle and compact within its bag or container. Before measuring, use a spoon to fluff up the flour until it feels light and airy, almost weightless.
- Spoon it – Spoon the flour into the measuring cup — never scoop with the cup itself. Keep spooning until the cup is slightly overflowing. Avoid tapping, shaking, or packing the flour down!
- Level it off – Finally, use a knife or any straight edge to scrape off the excess back into the container.
What Measuring Cups to Use
Not all measuring cups are created equal! Dry and liquid cups might hold the same amount but they’re designed to be used very differently.
Dry measuring cups are meant to be filled to the brim and levelled off. These are the cups you want for flour and other dry or thick ingredients, like sugar, oats, or peanut butter. You can find the exact ones I use here.
Tip: If a recipe calls for an amount such as 3/4 cup of flour, it’s best to use a 1/4-cup measure and repeat three times. That way you can level off the top each time.
Liquid measuring cups like these are not suitable for flour. They’re designed to be filled to a marked line and are best for pourable liquids only!
What if I Need to Sift My Flour?
If a recipe asks you to sift your flour, pay close attention to the wording in the ingredients list. “1 cup sifted flour” means the flour is sifted before measuring. “1 cup flour, sifted” means you measure the flour first, then sift it.
Sifting introduces more air, so one cup of sifted flour will weigh less than one cup of unsifted flour.
Most modern recipes (including mine!) will typically have you measure the flour first, then sift it if needed. This ensures you’re using the right amount of flour while still getting the benefits of sifting, like fewer lumps and lighter baked goods.
I never even thought about the difference in the wording about sifting before or after measuring. Thank you! That’s so helpful.
Glad you learnt something! It’s one of the many nuances of recipe writing. Thanks for your comment.