Every home cook should have a scale. It is indispensable for any kind of baking, whether breads or desserts. Perfectly useable digital scales start around $20US, but an average analog spring-based scale could be had for under $10US from various stores. Keep reading for an explanation of the benefits of mass over volume measurements.
Above is a referral link to my scale on Amazon, but don't feel obligated to use the referral or even get that scale. Whatever you do, though, pick something up... But why?
Volume Measurements Are Inconsistent
This is very true for flours, less so for a more consistent item like granulated sugar, but it's the main reason we should to use scales. Consider, for instance, rye flour. In my house right now I have three different rye flours. One is a whole grain flour, coarsely ground with lots of bran all over the place. The second is a white rye flour, meaning that the bran and germ have been removed, like in normal white flour from wheat and with similar grain size. Lastly I have a medium-coarse rye with some balance of germ and bran that I'm not actually sure about. Now if I measure out a half cup of each three times with the standard scoop and level method and then take an average, what happens?
Flour | Volume (c) | Mass (g) |
Coarse Whole Rye | 1/2c | 35 |
White Rye | 1/2c | 40 |
Medium Rye | 1/2c | 41 |
The three different flours had three different masses. But only a gram! Maybe it's not a big deal and we should just go back to volume measurements. But what if the volume measurements aren't even consistent for the same flour? Would I get different answers if I measured it a few more times? Here I measured 1 quarter-cup of AP flour a few times by the same method and recorded the results.
Attempt # | Mass (g) |
1 | 45 |
2 | 42 |
3 | 43 |
Now if we consider the 3 gram difference between two of my measurements of a quarter-cup of flour, and multiply by 14(which gives us about as much flour as might be in a sandwich loaf), that leaves us with a 42 gram difference in two attempts to measure out flour. A 6.5% difference in flour mass when using volume measurements for a loaf of bread can definitely affect hydration, in particular when scaling to larger batches. Mass wins.
It's Easier to Measure By Mass/Weight Than Volume
This is probably the best reason - it's a lot easier to scoop some flour into the bowl and watch the dial than it is to scoop/level over and over, not to mention the tedium of teaspoon/tablespoon measurements. This is the point that I appreciate most any time I make bread.
All that said, go out and get a scale! You'll thank me later.
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