OT: cookie baking question: OT

RRP

Today I baked 239 cookies and yes I cheated using the kitchen oven!

This recipe and tradition was something my late Mother started back in 1952 and after she got into her 80's and could no longer make them I took over the baking duties. Today was the first time in the 30 years I have been making them that I did not bother to sift the 5 cups of all purpose flour. For the number of cookies I have sampled today the texture seems to be more dense plus most cookies did not spread much during the baking. So my questions are:
1) did not sifting explain the texture and non-spreading I think I noticed today?
2) is sifting even still necessary nowadays?

DMW

The primary reason for sifting is so 1C of flour that the recipe writer specified is the same 1C of flour you use at home. A much more accurate method is to measure flour by weight, then sifting doesn't matter.

In other words, you probably used more (mass) flour than the recipe called for. And yes, that would explain what you noticed.

As you scale a recipe up, the impact becomes even more noticeable to the finished product.

If this is an annual thing, maybe try weighing the flour you use and note how they turned out. Or, if you know you like it as before, sift and measure the amount of flour called for, then weigh that and use weight going forward.
 

Wolfie51sb

I count 238.

Rascal

I usually don't sift, but on occasion I'll shake the mixed, dry ingredients through a strainer.  OTOH, I recently had a problem with my "Cowboy" cookies spreading too much.  King Arthur site said a solution is to refrigerate the batter for a while.  I also gave the rounded clumps of batter a little press on top and the cookies came out just fine.

RRP

DMW said:

The primary reason for sifting is so 1C of flour that the recipe writer specified is the same 1C of flour you use at home. A much more accurate method is to measure flour by weight, then sifting doesn't matter.

In other words, you probably used more (mass) flour than the recipe called for. And yes, that would explain what you noticed.

As you scale a recipe up, the impact becomes even more noticeable to the finished product.

If this is an annual thing, maybe try weighing the flour you use and note how they turned out. Or, if you know you like it as before, sift and measure the amount of flour called for, then weigh that and use weight going forward.
 

Makes sense! Thanks. 

Thatgrimguy

I have found in my baking that sifting does make a difference outside of the major difference that weight makes.

my breads have a better texture when I sift.

HeavyG

Sifting can be useful/helpful but I only sift AFTER I have weighed out the flour I need.

That said, I haven't actually sifted anything in years. I tend to just use a hand mixer to mix in all the dry ingredients and kind of fluff it up with that.

DoubleEgger

I usually sift but not always. I always sift making gravy though. Lumpy gravy blows. 

nolaegghead

nolaegghead

DoubleEgger said:

I usually sift but not always. I always sift making gravy though. Lumpy gravy blows. 

You Bedrock folks can seem a little "sifty" to us highland tribes.

nolaegghead

EGGjlmh

HeavyG said:

Sifting can be useful/helpful but I only sift AFTER I have weighed out the flour I need.

That said, I haven't actually sifted anything in years. I tend to just use a hand mixer to mix in all the dry ingredients and kind of fluff it up with that.

I remember you posting pics of your last baking a couple weeks ago showing how you dont sift anymore,
Thanks

HeavyG

EGGjlmh said:

HeavyG said:

Sifting can be useful/helpful but I only sift AFTER I have weighed out the flour I need.

That said, I haven't actually sifted anything in years. I tend to just use a hand mixer to mix in all the dry ingredients and kind of fluff it up with that.

I remember you posting pics of your last baking a couple weeks ago showing how you dont sift anymore,
Thanks

That was in my brisket done in an Easy Bake oven thread wasn't it?

Fred19Flintstone

Baking is more science than regular cooking.  I don't fully understand the science, so tweaking treatment of foundational elements is something I don't do.   When baking, I follow the recipe.  If it says sift, I sift.  

jtcBoynton

Sifting is important if you are measuring flour by volume, which you should not be doing.  If you measure flour by weight, sifting is less important.  Spreading issues are usually a fat/flour ratio issue (often caused by measuring flour by volume).