Techniques › Baking and pastry
Sifting
Beginner Baking and pastry
Sifting is passing dry ingredients through a fine mesh to break up lumps and blend them evenly.
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How do you do it?
- Set a fine-mesh strainer or sifter over a bowl or a sheet of parchment.
- Add the flour, cocoa, powdered sugar or leavening.
- Tap the side or stir with a spoon until it all falls through; press any lumps through.
- Check the recipe wording: measure before sifting or after, as it says.
Why does it work?
Cocoa, powdered sugar and baking soda clump, and lumps leave bitter pockets or streaks. Sifting also spreads the leavening evenly through the flour so the bake rises evenly.
What are the common mistakes?
- Skipping it for cocoa or powdered sugar — lumps stay in the frosting or batter.
- Measuring in the wrong order — sifted flour weighs less per cup than unsifted.
Still stuck? Watch someone do it on YouTube.
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