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Gave up on sifting flour for a batch of chocolate chip cookies last week after 20 years of doing it

I've always sifted flour because that's what my grandmother taught me, but I forgot to do it for a batch of cookies and they came out just as good - maybe even better since I didn't mess up the kitchen. Now I'm wondering if sifting is actually necessary for most baking or if it's just an old habit we all follow. Has anyone else tried skipping a common step and gotten the same results?
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3 Comments
felix_martin56
I run a small HVAC business now but I used to work the line at a diner where we'd bake cookies by the hundreds. I stopped sifting flour about five years ago for our chocolate chip recipe. Nobody noticed a difference, and the cookies were actually a little chewier which people liked more. The only time I bother now is if the flour has been sitting in my basement for months and got lumpy from humidity.
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margaret_lane
margaret_lane9d agoMost Upvoted
Might depend on the recipe but honestly a lot of baking steps seem more like superstition than science.
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brown.susan
brown.susan9d agoTop Commenter
Most baking rules are really just old habits dressed up as gospel.
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