Flours & starches
Convert flour and starch amounts with references that preserve flour type, filling method, and the source’s cup definition.
All-purpose flour, bread flour, whole wheat flour, cake flour, almond flour, rye flour, and cornstarch each have their own ingredient entry. A shared word such as “flour” does not make their source references interchangeable.
Start with the exact ingredient
Choose the flour named in the recipe. A blend, self-rising flour, and a named single flour describe different products. If the recipe uses a product outside this directory, keep its original weight or volume rather than attaching a nearby ingredient’s density.
Almond flour is listed here because it is commonly measured as a flour, but it remains a separate ingredient. The category is a browsing aid, not a statement that its members can be substituted for one another.
Keep the filling method
A cup can hold different amounts of a powder depending on how it is filled. Inspect the reference’s instructions for filling and leveling. Keep sifting or other preparation wording with the ingredient line, including whether it happens before or after measuring.
King Arthur’s flour guidance supplies a specific filling method. Use that context with its published reference; do not silently transfer the method to a different publisher’s cup value.
Use an existing weight directly
If a recipe gives 180 g of a flour, enter 180 g. Scaling the recipe to 1.5 times its original servings gives 270 g without any density. A mass–volume reference is needed only when you actually cross between those quantities.
For a cup-based recipe, inspect both the ingredient state and the cup basis. A source cup may remain a named source measure when its millilitre definition is unavailable.
Keep flour components distinct in a formula
In Baker’s percentages, several flour rows contribute to total flour. Their masses form the 100% basis, while their separate identities remain useful for describing the formula.
A shopping list should likewise retain separate flour identities. Adding all “flour” quantities into one number would remove information needed to prepare the recipe.
All-purpose flour
Unbleached all-purpose flour
Documented volume reference availableBread flour
Bread flour, level cup
Documented volume reference availableWhole wheat flour
Wholemeal wheat flour, reported density at 21°C
Documented volume reference availableCake flour
Unbleached cake flour
Source-measure referenceAlmond flour
Almond flour, not almond meal
Source-measure referenceRye flour
Rye flour, grind unspecified
Documented volume reference availableCornstarch
Cornstarch, publisher’s 240 mL cup
Documented volume reference available