April 29, 2020 - 10:16pm
Sifting flour
An author and a baker I follow tends to post in many of his recipes to use "sifted' flour, even when it's just all purpose. Is this really a thing? Does it make a difference?
Share
An author and a baker I follow tends to post in many of his recipes to use "sifted' flour, even when it's just all purpose. Is this really a thing? Does it make a difference?
There are instances where sifting flour makes sense, such as baking a cake or when you live in a very humid area (causing flour to clump).
Sifting gets rid of all lumps and guarantees the flour is evenly distributed. When mixing a cake, where you often just mix until everything comes together, you don't want any lumps that could cause dry spots later.
But in bread making I don't think sifting makes sense. The dough is often kneaded for 10 min. or more, giving even bigger clumps enough time to become hydrated, especially when there is an autolyse before. The mechanical action of the dough hook or your hands breaks up clumps as well.
If you want to be extra sure, in the end sifting is never a bad thing.
This particular recipe was for Challah bread. There was no autolyse. All the ingredients are mixed together and then kneaded for a few minutes. Sounds like the sifting is very optional in this case.
Thanks!
Sifting takes out lumps adds in essential air. It is also the 'only' way to bake by volume as a compact cup of flour and a light airy cup of sifted flour are both still a cupful but actually weigh a lot differently.
Because I bake by eye I tend to rake it through with my fingers, lifting and dropping back in to the bowl, whilst mixing in salt and sugar etc. I find this sufficient for my sandwich loaves.