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>Well, it CAN vary quite a lot theoretically, but that’s why there are guidelines on how to measure a cup of flour. So says my baker mom, and so says the internet.

Where baking is done can override volumetric measuring, even with sound, consistent technique. I'm a professional bread baker working at altitude in a low humidity environment. One cup of flour for me will weigh less than a cup for someone in a high humidity area. Parents and grandparents passing down volumetric recipes in the past were unlikely to experience inconsistent baking/cooking outcomes because back in the day succeeding generations were apt to remain in the same geographic area.

2 comments

Well, you’ve got all kinds of problems baking at altitude. You may need to make all kinds of adjustments to your recipes. So it feels to me like this is just one of a dozen issues you’ll have.

But yes, I did not mean to endorse measuring by volume—only that you can avoid much of the problem if you follow proper measuring technique. As I noted in my post, I personally use weights when baking.

As for the historical justification for using volumetric recipes: you’re probably overthinking it if you’re connecting it to geography, and especially if you’re connecting it to altitude. More likely the reason would just be that volumetric measuring was easier and cheaper to reproduce until quite recently. Scales can be expensive, can break, etc. Cups are cheap and durable.

Certainly, the historic justification for volumetric measuring is likely what you say, that scales were not a thing for most anyone to have until recently. My point was just that recipes used across generations in a family weren't back then (compared to nowadays) likely subject to geographic changes because people were much less likely to move far. I've got nuclear family members on both US coasts and I'm in a landlocked state. That kind of intra-family dispersal is much more common today.

Fair enough—I think we’re agreed, then! :)

While I agree with using scales, it is just so much less messy.

And altitude may be an issue, never had to consider that.

I think there are other factors that affects the amount of flour you should use, such as the ratio of water already in the flour.

If you use fresh flour directly from the mill, you may not need as much water in the dough.

I also imagine the method of grinding the flour may make a difference.