# What does, Aerate flour mean



## FarmboyBill (Aug 19, 2005)

in making bread dough?


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## Oregon1986 (Apr 25, 2017)

Maybe sifting?


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## COSunflower (Dec 4, 2006)

Yes, it means to sift your flour.


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## COSunflower (Dec 4, 2006)

If you don't have a sifter it should be ok without sifting. Today's flour is ground much finer than in past years.


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## CajunSunshine (Apr 24, 2007)

If you don't have a flour sifter similar to this, use a fine wire mesh strainer. Pass the flour through it.


Can't get the image to post, but here is a whole page of different kinds of flour sifters. You may have one, but if not... it is ok, like Sunflower said.

https://www.google.com/search?as_st=y&hl=en&tbs=sur:f&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1183&bih=516&ei=fFYzWsTYHcm6mwHVn7mICw&q=flour+sifter&oq=flour+sifter&gs_l=img.3..0l10.3843.7564.0.7899.15.12.2.1.1.0.148.1281.0j11.11.0....0...1ac.1.64.img..1.14.1360.0..35i39k1.0.Govqf-eNgKk#imgrc=OVE-aMG8hNFDVM:


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## CajunSunshine (Apr 24, 2007)

There is nothing finer than the smell of fresh bread baking. 

If you don't succeed at first, don't give up! I have made more than a few bricks before turning out fine loaves of bread. 

.


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## AmericanStand (Jul 29, 2014)

I thought it ment Aiera ate the flower .....


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## FarmboyBill (Aug 19, 2005)

LOL lol


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## FarmboyBill (Aug 19, 2005)

I have one. Ding dang dumb X through it in a sack of trash that I burned when she moved in. I found it later when next to burn trash. Ive tried to clean it some. IF I cant, Ill get one at WM. The U Tube I saw on baking EASY bread, had a flash up on both vids by her to areate the flower. She was in her 30s so I thought that it might be something else sides sifting flour. Thanks.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

It means take your bag of flour, toss it high in the air, and shoot it with your 12 GA.
#8 shot should be big enough.

If making pancakes use a 20 GA

For *B*iscuits use *B*uckshot

Then it will be well aerated.


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## FarmboyBill (Aug 19, 2005)

LOL lol. Yer a pip Bear lol


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## Oxankle (Jun 20, 2003)

Bill: Some recipes explain that flour in a sack packs down, and by aerating it they mean fluffing it up---easiest way is with a sifter but it can be done simply by pouring a cup of flour slowly into a big bowl (can be a dusty mess) or by whipping it around in the bowl with a fork. 

Sifters were originally not to aerate flour, but to remove weevils and frass from the flour when people bought it in 25 or 50 pound sacks and kept it at home for months. 

Barb tells me that when she worked in Burma the cook would take a pan of flour out and set it under glass in the sun to kill all the weevils before sifting it. 
Even today the USDA has standards that allow for a small percentage of insect contamination in flour.


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## Shrek (May 1, 2002)

Ox ,
A POW told us that they were often given weevil filled flour to make their bread where they were held and the medic in the POW group told the others to just remember they were taught in survival school which bugs , grubs and worms were good survival protein and those weevils were of value to them as they made their gross bread rations.

Bill,

As others have said aerating is sifting. When my sifter broke, I used a mixing bowl and a colander and stirred my flour with a wooden spoon through the colander for recipes that called for sifting until I bought a new sifter


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## newfieannie (Dec 24, 2006)

yeah ox is correct areate is not sifting. like today I sifted my cake flour. but I don't sift the all purpose bread flour. mom use to areate by pouring from one pan to another and back and so on for a few minutes. what are you aerating! ~Georgia


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## newfieannie (Dec 24, 2006)

oh sorry. I just don't feel well today. I missed it. it's flour.


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## FarmboyBill (Aug 19, 2005)

Well, as said, I got a sifter. Mom sifted flour also I remember.


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## COSunflower (Dec 4, 2006)

When I was in middle school Home Ec class, our baking ingredients were commodity goods supplied by the government. There were ALWAYS weevils in our flour! Our teacher said that good food couldn't be wasted and since weevils spent most of their lives in flour that they were basically flour too so JUST SIFT THEM OUT GIRLS!!!!!


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## FarmboyBill (Aug 19, 2005)

lol lol


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## emdeengee (Apr 20, 2010)

I was taught to aerate flour when baking to make the final product lighter. It is particularly useful when baking cakes. The added air makes it fluffier. You don't need a sifter - just use a fine mesh sieve. Measure your flour as directed by the recipe then sieve it and re-measure. You will see that the aerated flour will measure less leaving some behind as compared to the basic flour. I usually then sieve the flour again with any salt, baking soda or baking powder added to mix it well. I mostly do not bother to aerate when baking bread as we like a toothsome and heavier loaf.


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