When you’re making bread or other foods with a lot of dry ingredients, it can be easiest to sift the flour before you combine it. You can sift flour using any sort of mesh-type strainer.
However, there are different types of mesh and also a variety of size options when it comes to sifting flour.
There is a large range in the amount of air that can pass through so some kinds will work more effectively than others depending on the recipe and how much air is required.
This guide focuses on what mesh size works best for your recipe and whether you should use a hand-operated or electric sifter to get the job done. If you’re looking for advice on which type of sifter to buy, check out our review here:
How do you know what mesh size to use for sifting flour?
The mesh size of the sifting mesh is one of the most important things to consider when sifting flour. Knowing your mesh size will help you optimise the amount of flour that gets through during the sifting process.
Sifting flour isn’t a full transfer of the flour from one container to another. Instead, it’s a process of “stirring” the flour that has been sifted to redistribute the air particles throughout the flour. There will be a difference between the mesh sizes used for sifting flour and the mesh sizes you would use to strain liquids like stock or puree.
Strainers are generally made of fine-mesh or even finer mesh so they can strain the liquid particles and collect the liquid. Sifting flour is generally done with a larger mesh to let a larger amount of air through, especially if the recipe calls for a lot of dry ingredients.
Which mesh size for sifting flour is best?
When it comes to flour, there are a few different mesh sizes to choose from. You may be surprised that different brands or types of sifting mesh are available. The most common types of sifting mesh are, from coarsest to finest: wire, fine, medium, and course.
Wire Sifting Mesh – The large, coarse mesh is best for flour sifting. The flour will fall through the wire easily and quickly. This is the mesh size that you’d use for sifting flour for brioche, scones, and other items that may have a slightly higher sugar content.
This mesh also works well for dusting ingredients because the flour will clump together into a nice dust-like texture.
Fine Sifting Mesh – This mesh is generally used for sifting wheat flours and other flours that are high in protein. The fine mesh will help evenly distribute the protein throughout the flour. This mesh can be used for sifting all-purpose flour, cake flour, and pastry flour, among others.
Medium Sifting Mesh – The medium mesh is best for sifting flours that are higher in starch, like cornstarch, tapioca starch, and potato starch. The medium mesh will let the starch particles sift through easily, leaving the rest of the flour behind.
Coarse Sifting Mesh – The coarse mesh is best for sifting flours with a lower starch content, like whole-wheat flour, soy flour, and oat flour. The coarse mesh will let the coarse particles sift through the flour, leaving the fine particles behind.
Hand-Operated or Electric Sifter?
There are a few things that you should keep in mind to help you decide between using a hand-operated or electric sifter. Hand-Operated Sifter – When it comes to sifting flour by hand there are a few things to keep in mind.
First, you’ll need a sifting tray or sifter that fits your type of flour (e.g. a sifter that fits an 8.5 x 5.5-inch flour container).
Second, you’ll need a sifting screen to sift the flour through. Sifting screens are available in a variety of materials, but stainless-steel screens are generally the most effective.
Third, you’ll need to know the mesh size that you need to use. When it comes to mesh size, the finer the mesh, the more air that can pass through the sifting screen.
Electric Sifter – When it comes to electric sifters, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, you’ll need to decide on a type of sifter that meets your needs and that fits your type of flour (e.g. a sifter that fits an 8.5 x 5.5-inch flour container).
Types of sifters include sifting screens, a sifting hopper, or a sifting bowl. Second, you’ll need to determine which sifting mesh you need to use. When it comes to mesh size, the finer the mesh, the more air that can pass through the sifting screen.
Why does the size of the mesh affect how well flour sifts?
The mesh size of a sifting mesh will affect how well the mesh is able to separate the dry ingredients. The mesh of the sifting mesh is made of wire that’s coiled around a round drum. There will be a pressure inside of the sieve that’s created by the spinning of the drum and the coiling of the wire.
The pressure of the wire will make the drum spin, which will push the flour down through the wire mesh. If the wire mesh is too large, the material will move too quickly and the particles won’t get separated well enough. A sieve that’s too large will leave the starch behind and only let the protein pass through.
The size of the wire mesh can also affect how well the flour sifts. If the wire mesh is too fine, the particles won’t be separated well enough. Sifting too fine can leave the starch behind and only let the protein pass through.
Types of Flour Siftings
There are two types of flour sifting: wet sifting and dry sifting.
Wet Sifting
Wet sifting is when flour is added to a liquid and then the mixture is stirred or shaken. The liquid can be water or milk. The liquid will help to break up the flour particles so they’re easier to separate from each other. Wet sifting works best with a fine mesh because it allows the flour particles to pass through easily. If the mesh is too coarse, it will become clogged with starch and protein and won’t let any of them pass through.
Dry Sifting
Dry sifting is when flour is added to a dry powder and then the mixture is stirred or shaken. The dry powder can be cornstarch, arrowroot, or another dry ingredient like oatmeal.
Dry ingredients don’t have much moisture in them so they won’t break up very well when mixed with water or milk. Dry ingredients are better for use in a wet sifter because they can be mixed with water or milk easily without clumping together into large pieces that make it difficult for them to pass through the screen of a wet sifter.
What sort of straining mesh should you use for your flour?
The mesh you use for sifting flour is called a strainer. There are many different types of sieves and strainers, but they all work the same way. The mesh is used to catch the larger pieces of flour that are left over after the liquid has been poured through the sifter.
The size of your strainer will depend on how fine or coarse you want your flour to be. A finer mesh will let more flour pass through it than a coarser mesh will. A finer mesh can also be used for dry sifting because it allows more of the dry ingredients to pass through it without clumping together into large pieces that make it difficult for them to pass through a wet sifter.
There are two main types of fine mesh:
A duo-mesh strainer is made up of two layers: a coarse layer and a fine layer. The coarse layer has holes in it that are much smaller than the holes on the fine layer, so when you pour water or milk into the strainer, only small bits of flour get caught in between those holes and get trapped in between them.
The water or milk flows around those bits and keeps them from getting into your recipe or batter while still allowing most of your flour to pass through with it.
Conclusion
A triple-mesh strainer is made up of three layers: a coarse layer, a medium layer, and a fine layer. The coarse layer has holes in it that are much smaller than the holes on the medium and fine layers, so when you pour water or milk into the strainer, only small bits of flour get caught in between those holes and get trapped in between them.
The water or milk flows around those bits and keeps them from getting into your recipe or batter while still allowing most of your flour to pass through with it.