Why sift flour for bread

They were once in every kitchen, sometimes even attached to a free-standing cabinet known as a Hoosier cabinet. A flour sifter was a necessary item to have if the home cook wanted tender cakes and biscuits. Putting your flour through a sifter will break up any lumps in the flour, which means you can get a more accurate measurement. Sifted flour is much lighter than unsifted flour and is easier to mix into other ingredients when making batters and doughs.

When making baked items such as cookies and bars , your recipe instructions may tell you to measure all dry ingredients, such as flour, spices, cocoa, etc. This process helps to combine everything evenly before they are mixed with other ingredients, such as eggs and butter. In the past, it was always necessary to sift in order to separate the flour from pieces of husk, seeds, and other debris, including bugs. Sifting the flour helped promote consistency in recipe results by removing the larger particles that could potentially result in densely textured baked goods or even ones that would sink in the middle.

But modern techniques have improved significantly since then. That being said, take a look in the bag or container of flour before you start. The easiest and fastest way to do this is with a fine-mesh sieve : Invest in a large one, plop it over a big bowl, and dump the ingredient that needs to be sifted into it. This is removing some of the fiber from the flour, but you can still use it. Simply put it to the side whilst making your dough. Continue to make the dough as normal but coat the shaped dough in the bran before proofing and baking.

With that thought stuck in my mind, I decided to do some research and a little test of my own. What were the differences? So, is there any reason to sift flour before making bread? Impurities Some flours can have certain impurities that are able to be separated through sifting.