Tired of Unpredictable Baking? It's Time to Stop Measuring by Volume

Have you ever baked a recipe more than once, only to end up with different results each time, even though you’re sure you did everything the same? Imagine you come across a tempting recipe, either online or in a cookbook. You carefully scoop the flour with your dry measuring cup, making sure to level it off perfectly. Then, you measure the liquid, ensuring it is perfectly even with the line on your liquid measuring cup. The first time you make it, it's flawless, and you start dreaming about opening your own bakery (and why not?). But then, when you decide to make it again, it just doesn’t come out right, and you can’t help but wonder if that initial perfection was all in your imagination. Before you toss your mixing bowl in frustration, consider this simple tip: next time, weigh your ingredients. Doing so will help you achieve consistent results every single time.

Weighing your ingredients will give you more consistent results.

Consistency is the primary reason to weigh your ingredients instead of using volume measures. Baking is all about precision and (unlike cooking) you cannot taste your mixture as you go (unless you want to get a, what my wife calls, “funny tummy”). Each ingredient in your bake has a specific job to do, and you need to put in the correct amount so each ingredient can do its job. When you use volume measures, there is just too much variability in the amount of ingredients you include in your bake. Even if you reach a point where you can make the dish perfectly every time with volume measures, it’s unlikely you can share that recipe with someone and expect them to achieve the same results every time. That’s why your favorite sourdough influencers frequently share their recipes in weights (typically in grams), and that’s why you see the contestants on the Great British Baking Show dumping their ingredients into a bowl with very few (if any) volume measures in sight. On top of achieving consistent results every time, there are other benefits to measuring by weight instead of by volume.

Weighing ingredients allows you to adjust your recipe easily.

Weighing your ingredients gives you the precision and control needed to adjust recipes to your preference. If you are going to make something from scratch, you should create it exactly how you want. Let’s imagine that recipe you found online listed the ingredients by weight. When you created the bake, it was too sweet for your liking. Since the ingredients are measured by weight, you can reduce the amount of the sweetener (think sugar in any form or honey) by a precise small amount (like 5ish grams). Then, you bake it again, taste the results (my favorite part), and adjust again if needed. Here is the crazy part, if you make enough adjustments, that recipe will become YOUR recipe, and you can share it with others 🤯. While making adjustments can transform a recipe into your own, using a scale to weigh ingredients can further eliminate the frustration of measuring sticky items like honey.

Weighing ingredients makes it easier to add hard-to-measure ingredients.

If you've ever dealt with the frustration of measuring sticky ingredients like honey by volume and have wondered if you’re getting every last drop, you're not alone. When you weigh your ingredients, there is no middleman (i.e., the measuring cup); you pour your ingredients directly into the bowl. Let’s say your recipe calls for a significant amount of honey (I don't know, maybe you're making some cornbread… okay, now I want some). Instead of pulling out the one-cup measure, pouring the honey into the measuring cup, and then painstakingly scraping it out into the bowl, you simply add it to the mixture and feel confident that you know the exact amount of honey you put in that bake. Open your eyes (wait, I didn't ask you to close them…), this could be your reality.

Another significant advantage of weighing ingredients is that it simplifies measuring dry items that don't have a consistent shape or fill the measuring cups in a consistent manner, such as chopped walnuts or chocolate chips. If you measure these by volume, how do you know if your chopped walnuts fit the same way in your measuring cup as someone else's? Short answer: you don't. Weighing your ingredients gives you the peace of mind that you are putting a precise amount of walnuts in that banana bread. If you feel like it needs more, you can increase the amount with skill and grace (well… at least with skill). While the advantages of weighing ingredients, like ensuring precise measurements for your chopped walnuts or chocolate chips, may lead you to believe that a quality scale must be expensive, they are not.

You do not have to break the bank when purchasing a scale.

A decent digital scale is relatively inexpensive and I would argue accessible for most home bakers. There are devices I feel are not needed to make bread, but weighing your ingredients is an absolute must for any serious baking enthusiast. There are many good scales available today, but there are some things your scale should have to make your experience enjoyable. At a bare minimum, your scale should have:

• A weight capacity of 11 lbs

• The ability to weigh in grams and ounces

• And can zero or tare (i.e., the ability to bring values to zero).

Right now, you can find scales priced anywhere from $9 to $55. It’s not a must-have, but getting one with a pull-out display can be really helpful. This way, you can still see the numbers even if you have a big mixing bowl on the scale blocking the screen.

A quick disclaimer: Do not get rid of your volume measures.

I'm not saying you should throw out your volume measurements entirely. Many recipes online and in books still primarily use volume measures to make baking accessible, as most homes have cups and teaspoons but not scales. While volume measures do not produce consistent results, they can be especially useful for small amounts like ½ teaspoon of baking powder or a pinch of salt. Plus, if you come from a long line of bakers, you likely have cherished family recipes that rely on these volume measures, making it wise to keep them around. I say again, do not throw them out!

Start weighing your ingredients for more consistent baking.

If you're ready for more consistent baking every time, start weighing your ingredients today and savor the consistent results you deserve! No more inconsistent results and more precision control over your baked goods and easy adjustments to any recipe you take on. For more tips to elevate your baking skills, be sure to join my mailing list below. Let's embark on this delicious baking trip together and savor the success!