How to Measure Ingredients for Baking (Video)

YouTube Link: How to Measure Ingredients for Baking
More Videos: Helen's Kitchen Channel

FAQ

How much does a cup of all-purpose flour weigh?
There is no agreement in the US on the amount of all-purpose flour that should be in 1 cup. Some bakers say that their cup is 4.5 oz.  That's the bakers that spoon flour into a cup and then level.  Some say that their cup is 5 oz.  That's the bakers who scoop and then level.  It seems that that are more 5 oz people than 4.5 oz people, so when in doubt, I assume 1 cup of all-purpose flour weighs 5 oz or 142 grams.

Does 1 cup of any ingredient equal 5 oz?
No.  Just like a cup of rocks and a cup of features will have different weights, so will different ingredients. Even 1 cup of different flour types will have different weights. Cake flour, for example, weighs about 4 oz per cup.

What's the difference between "1 cup of sifted flour" and "1 cup of flour, sifted"?
It's confusing, isn't it.  The only reliable way to avoid compression problems when measuring flour with cups is to sift it into the cup and then level.  Since the exact amount of flour is so important in fine cake recipes, and since the flour would need to be sifted anyway, recipes often called for "1 cup of sifted cake flour" (which should equal 3.5 oz).  If you have a scale, you can weigh 3.5 oz and then sift the flour.  If your recipe calls for "1 cup of cake flour, sifted" they expect you take 4 oz of flour, and then sift it.  Generally, if you sift flour into the cup and then level it, you'll get less flour than if you scoop (or spoon), level, and then sift.  If this explanation  makes your head hurt, you are not alone.  Luckily, "4 oz of flour, sifted" is not ambiguous.

What are the weights of frequently used baking ingredients?

Adopted from Rose Levy Beranbaum's "The Bread Bible"

Flours

All-purpose Flour

1 cup (stir, scoop, level) = 5 oz = 142 grams

Cake Flour

1 cup (sifted into cup) = 3.5 oz = 100 grams

Cake Flour

1 cup (stir, spoon into cup, level) = 4 oz = 114 grams

Whole Wheat Flour

1 cup (stir, scoop, level) = 5.3 oz = 150 grams

Sugars

Granulated Sugar 

1 cup = 7 oz = 200 grams

Brown Sugar

1 cup = 7.7 oz = 217 grams

Fats

Butter 

1 cup = 8 oz = 227 grams

Oils

1 cup = 7.6 oz = 215 grams

Liquids

Water

1 cup = 8.3 oz = 236 grams

Heavy Cream 

1 cup = 8.2 oz = 232 grams

Milk, buttermilk, sour cream, and half-and-half

1 cup = 8.5 oz = 242 grams

Eggs

1 large in shell = 2 oz = 57 grams

1 large without shell = 1.7 oz = 50 grams

1 large egg white = 1 oz = 30 grams

1 large egg yolk = 0.6 oz = 19 grams

Small Quantities

Instant Yeast 

1 tsp = 3.2 grams

Table Salt 

1 tsp = 5.7 grams

Diamond Crystal Kosher salt 

1 tsp = 2.8 grams

Baking Powder

1 tsp = 4.9 grams

Baking soda

1 tsp = 5 grams

If you want to find weights for other ingredients, you can use a wonderful kitchen tool, called Google.