More Flour Is Not the Answer

Let’s talk about flour.

Specifically, the moment something looks a little wet and your first instinct is to panic… and add more.

Take a breath. Put the measuring cup down. More flour is almost never the solution.

The Panic Pour Problem

We’ve all been there.

The batter looks looser than expected. The dough feels sticky. Your brain whispers, “Just a little more flour won’t hurt…”

That whisper is lying.

Adding extra flour is one of the fastest ways to turn:

• Soft cakes into dry bricks

• Tender cookies into bland hockey pucks

• Muffins into something that requires a beverage chaser

Flour doesn’t just thicken—it absorbs moisture, steals tenderness, and mutes flavor.

Why Texture Can Be Deceiving

Here’s the truth most recipes don’t shout loudly enough:

• Cake batter is supposed to be fluid

• Cookie dough is supposed to be a little sticky

• Muffin batter is supposed to look lumpy and loose

Baking isn’t like cooking—you don’t adjust on the fly. The ratios matter, and those ratios were designed to look a little uncomfortable at first.

Trust the process. It knows things.

Measuring Matters (A Lot)

If your bakes keep turning out dry, it’s often not the recipe—it’s how the flour is measured.

Scooping flour straight from the bag packs it down, giving you way more flour than intended. Suddenly your “1 cup” is acting like 1¼ cups, and your batter never stood a chance.

The fix:

• Fluff the flour

• Spoon it into the measuring cup

• Level it off gently

No tapping. No shaking. No compression therapy.

When Flour Actually Is the Problem

If something consistently feels off, look at:

• Oven temperature (hello, Post #1 👀)

• Butter and egg temperature (Post #2 had thoughts)

• Mixing method (overmixing loves to pretend it’s flour’s fault)

Flour is rarely the villain—it’s just the one taking the blame.

The Spoonful of Sugar Truth

Baking is about balance, not control.

Adding extra flour might make you feel better in the moment, but it usually costs you tenderness, moisture, and joy. Trust the recipe, measure with care, and let your batter be exactly what it’s meant to be.

Sticky doesn’t mean wrong. Loose doesn’t mean broken. And more flour? Still not the answer.

— A Spoonful of Sugar 🍰✨