Food Mythbusters: don't waste your time to sift the flour

Take any recipe containing flour and you will find a sentence to daunt any enthusiastic cook: “sift the flour”. But, technically speaking, what do we mean by “sifting flour”?

To find the answer, you need to consider what happens to this precious ingredient after grinding. To all intents and purposes, it is a compound which certainly contains flour, but also a certain amount of waste, called chaff. Basically, chaff consists of the dry protective casings of the cereal grain which are actually ground together with the seeds. A subsequent refining process takes place with the intent to eliminate these substances, either partially or entirely.

Today this operation is carried out industrially, using a technique called milling, but in the past, it was done using a sieve, would you believe.  This consisted of a sort of round mesh attached to a hoop for pouring the flour into. By shaking the sieve, the refined flour passed through the mesh, while the waste in the form of bran and what germ was retained.

So, could this be the sifting process mentioned in recipes the world over? If we give the matter any serious consideration, we have to say it is not, because today we can find flour of any level of refinement we require. Well, could it merely be a relic of the past? Yes, but only in part.

What does 'sifting flour' really mean?

To get a better understanding of what it’s all about, think of an angel cake, one of the best-known cakes in the world. According to our recipe books, this is the classical cake that requires a gradual addition of flour which has been previously well aired to get rid of any lumps caused by poor storage or a sub-standard product. So, nowadays flour is sifted to ensure that the powder falls straight and evenly into the mixing bowl.

Photo Mae Mu on Unsplash

Now that this curious mystery has been explained, we have some bad news for you: there is absolutely no point in sifting flour. Exactly, it is nothing but a myth, which may have found its way into recipes for the sole purpose of making them sound more authentic and homely. The truth is that, unless you produce your own flour, the product you buy in the shops undergoes a series of milling processes varying between eight and fourteen different phases. So, it really is impossible to find any waste, unless you actually decide to use wholemeal flour which obviously contains bran. But I presume that, in this case, yours is a pondered choice and you want to add some bran to your recipe.

Otherwise, refined flour is by definition a product that has already been sifted and you can add it to your mixing bowl with a simple toss of the hand.

Sifting flour won't improve your recipes

To dispel any doubts: sifting flour will certainly not spoil your recipe, but don’t expect any improvement either. A sift can be useful for adding flour gradually, but there are other ways of doing it. Now that the myth has been debunked, why not try it out for yourself? What better way than making an angel cake?

Take 150 grams flour, a sachet of raising agent (baking powder) for cakes, one teaspoonful of almond extract, 3 grams salt, 250 grams sugar, 10 egg whites, and a vanilla pod. Pour the egg whites into a small saucepan and stir slowly until they reach a temperature of 45 °C (use a thermometer), then pour the saucepan contents into an electric food mixer and mix at an average speed until they become white.

At this point, add 200 grams of sugar, the vanilla, the almond extract, and the raising agent. When the mixture looks foamy, switch off the food mixer. Then place the flour in a bowl together with the rest of the sugar and the salt. Add the egg whites, folding them in gently. Finally pour the mixture into a cake tin, previously greased with butter and bake at 180 °C, for 35-40 minutes.