I respond to the following posting:
>From: "Chris Moewes" <cmoewes@pobox.com>
>Subject: Cups to Lbs
>Date: Sun, 24 Jan 1999 13:34:26 -0600
Bernard Clayton, in an Appendix to his "New Complete Book of
Breads" gives the equivalence for flour (unsifted),
3 1/2 cups = 1 pound
However, he also, in the same appendix, gives
1 cup = 4 3/4 ounces,
which would yield 3 1/2 cups = 1 pound + a bit more than half
an ounce.
For fun, I weighed the flours in my cupboard without sifting
using a good metric balance scale. One cup varied from 144
to 156 grams depending on the flour. This is about half an
ounce higher than Clayton's equivalence (1 ounce = 28.5
grams). When I sifted, the weights dropped by about 7% on
average.
I conclude that these equivalences are not exact,
and bread bakers seem to go largely by feel of the dough
anyway. You probably should use them as a first try. Maybe
a precise standard is not possible given the differences that
exist among flours. On the other hand, weighing probably does
give more consistent results.
By the way, if I am giving more detail than you like, blame
breadmaker/author Peter Reinhart. His classes and books
stress both precision and feel. For example, he tests bread
for doneness by measuring internal temperature with a probe
thermometer. What a simple idea, yet how well it works! I
for one have never been able to rap on a loaf with my
knuckles and decide whether a hollow sound is produced, the
usual test for doneness.
Richard Casey