Fold flour in gently to avoid knocking air out of an aerated batter
Use a spatula to gently fold in flour so you keep the air you whisked into the wet mixture.
After aerating the eggs/wet ingredients, add sifted dry ingredients and fold slowly and gently. Small flour lumps are fine; they’ll disappear during baking.
The short version
- Gentle folding preserves lift
- Small flour lumps can bake out
What you need
- spatula
How to do it
- 1
Add sifted dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients.
Watch this step - 2
Gently fold with a spatula until mostly combined.
Take your time; don’t beat vigorously.
Watch this step - 3
Don’t worry about small flour lumps; they will disappear during baking.
Watch this step
What goes wrong
Stirring/whisking hard after adding flour
Switch to a spatula and fold gently to keep the batter airy.
Why it works
Aggressive mixing deflates trapped air, reducing rise and making the crumb denser; gentle folding preserves the foam structure.
Put it to use
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