A Sifting

We have a flour sifter (see the picture below), but I don't think either of us have ever used it. It just sat in the cabinet gathering dust. However, now that I am exploring baking, I keep wondering...should I sift the flour, or is that an archaic way of doing things? None of my recipes thus far have called for sifted flour, but is it one of those secret tricks that only real bakers know and still do?

One of the many skills I have learned from graduate school is the skill of questioning everything and doing your own research. So I was curious...what do other bakers say about sifting? What does it mean to sift? If it does change the result, how?

Well...here is what I found. Sifting, though it used to be necessary because of the junk that could get into the flour when it was milled, can still be a handy trick. It can make your measuring more accurate and thus make whatever you are baking a little lighter. (See http://kitchensavvy.typepad.com/journal/2005/07/sifting_flour.html for more details.)

I think what is more interesting however, is the actual meaning of the word sift. According to Dictionary.com, there are several meanings to this short word.

1. to separate and retain the coarse parts of (flour, ashes, etc.) with a sieve.

2. to scatter or sprinkle through or by means of a sieve.

3. to separate by or as if by a sieve.

4. to examine closely.

5. to question closely.

I am struck by two things in these definitions. First, I like that there is an element of separation in sifting. My step-mom reminded me the other day (when I had been rejected from a possible assistant professor position) that sometimes it feels that we are being sifted, that we are being separated, scattered, or even falling through an uncomfortable sieve. During this sifting we may feel out of control or separated from what we once knew. We may not really know what is going on. But it seems that, generally, we come out on the other end, better prepared for our next step, perhaps even with a lightened load because we were holding onto some thing that we needed to let go. In my case, I think I was holding onto the idea of what I am "supposed to do" with my degrees, what is expected of me (namely a tenure track professor position). Because of the difficulty of not finding a job right away, I think I have been able to begin to separate myself from various expectations and ask myself, "What do I want to do?". It has been freeing to think of things this way and even though I am still unsure what my immediate occupation may be, I feel a little lighter and a little less anxious about the possibilities. 

The second thing that strikes me is along a similar line of thinking. I like the fourth and fifth definitions of sifting: "to examine or question closely". Again, this is something I think I have been trained to do throughout my life and especially in graduate school. It is because of questioning things closely that I have become the person I am, with my particular beliefs and thoughts, relationships and actions. Thus, I am grateful for the various siftings in my life that have helped me to separate from things that are no longer necessary for my growth or to question things that have helped me find myself in the midst of the craziness of this world. 

So...although it might seem old-fashioned to sift flour, I think I am going to take it up as a regular baking practice. Even if it is just to remind me that an occasional sifting in life is a good thing.