How many cups of flour

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iluvy

Sat, Jan 01 2011, 9:26 pm

in half a 5 lb bag?

I am trying to halve a recipe that calls for a 5 lb bag. I've been just adding flour til it looks right, but I second-guess myself too much and always end up with something different. Google is giving me mixed results.

Thanks!

nylon

Sat, Jan 01 2011, 9:42 pm

Generally speaking, in bread recipes, 1 cup = 5 oz. So 2.5 lbs is about 8 cups.

imabima

Sun, Jan 02 2011, 6:02 am

According to Joy of Cooking, it's 20 cups to 5 lbs. but I have measured it and usually come out t0 17ish cups. I think it would be 20 if it was freshly sifted.

PinkFridge

Sun, Jan 02 2011, 6:53 am

imabima wrote:

According to Joy of Cooking, it's 20 cups to 5 lbs. but I have measured it and usually come out t0 17ish cups. I think it would be 20 if it was freshly sifted.

I noticed the conventional wisdom changed some years ago. It's actually 17 and a fraction; check any regular flour bag for the serving size. I don't know how much of a difference sifting makes if you presift a full bag.

URAQT

Sun, Jan 02 2011, 7:04 am

One pound of flour is about 3 and a half cups. Figure it out!

iluvy

Sun, Jan 02 2011, 8:55 pm

Thank you all!

ra_mom

Sun, Jan 02 2011, 9:00 pm

Give a 5 lb. bag of flour to 4 different people, have them measure how many cups are in there, and you will get 4 different answers Wink

Everyone measures their flour differently. Some scoop it out of the bag before sifting, some after sifting (flour is less dense this way and you'll end up with less per cup), some spoon it into the measuring cup (which will also yield less flour per cup), some pack it really tightly and then level it off....

The only way to know how many of your cups of flour are in a 5 lb. bag, is to open a new bag, and start measuring. If you get 16 cups, you'll know that you need to use 8 cups for your recipe. If you get 14 cups, you'll halve that... etc.

Good luck.

nylon

Sun, Jan 02 2011, 9:48 pm

FWIW, the measurements I have are that a cup of all purpose flour (bread flour is about the same, cake is lighter) is:
5.2 oz dip and sweep
4.5 oz spooned into cup
4 oz sifted

I suspect that if you're using an older edition of Joy, they may be assuming that you sift, which many people don't do any more.

As I said, I use a 5oz cup when converting recipes to weight. It's about right though sometimes I have to add a bit more (but better to err that way, and sometimes I have extra-large eggs).

dessara

Thu, Oct 13 2016, 9:32 am

Just brought this thread up because I wanted to know this as well. Since there was no definitive answer, I decided post my results in case it helps anyone. I measured a 5 lb Glicks high gluten flour bag using a 1 cup scoop which I leveled and I got 15 cups exactly. I know it depends on many factors, like the type of flour, humidity, etc, but hope this is helpful! (And maybe will save someone from the mess that is my counter right now Smile

Mommyg8

Fri, Nov 09 2018, 8:53 am

dessara wrote:

Just measured a five pound bag of flour and I got 17 cups. I used a four cup measuring cup that they sell in the dollar store - maybe their measurements are off, I don't know.

I know this is an old thread, just posting it because I found it interesting Wink

shanie5

Sat, Nov 10 2018, 9:06 pm

Depending on how packed the cup is, there will be a different # of cups per bag. If flour is sifted and airy, it will take more cups to make 5 lbs. If flour is packed in, it will take fewer cups. Thats why its best to weigh flour in certain situations. (I only weigh for bread/challah)

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