Q: Is sifting necessary?

A: If you are using all-purpose flour, sifting isn’t needed. Just give it a whirl with a whisk.

If you are working with cake flour, sifting is a good idea as it tends to clump a little.

Q: What is cake flour?

A:It is a soft flour which means it’s low protein and low gluten. What that translates to is that it makes a tender crumb for baked goods.

Q: I have no cake flour, is there a substitute?

A:A cup of cake flour is roughly equivalent to 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour.

Q: I only have cake flour but the recipe calls for all-purpose, what can I do?

A:For each cup of cake flour add 2 tablespoons more. That will give you the rough equivalent for a cup of all-purpose flour.

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Q: A recipe calls for self-rising flour and I don’t have any. What can I substitute?

A: Self-rising flour contains flour, salt and baking powder. For each cup of all-purpose flour add about ¼ teaspoon salt and 1¼ - 1½ teaspoons baking powder.

Q: Can I substitute unbleached for bleached flour and vice-versa?

A: Yes.

Q: Can I use whole wheat flour in place of all-purpose flour?

A: I wouldn’t suggest it. If all the all-purpose flour is substituted with whole wheat the end product will have a tendency to be heavier than and not as fine-grained as a baked good made with all-purpose flour.

If you really want to use some whole wheat, a good rule of thumb is to replace 1/3 of the all-purpose with whole wheat flour. The baked item will be a little heavier, a bit darker, and a slightly different texture, but it also a little healthier with the whole grain.