A 360 g bread formula using 120 g per cup corresponds to 3 cups by that reference. Spoon flour gently into the cup until it mounds above the rim, then sweep a straight edge across without tapping. The action aims to avoid compression, not to create a laboratory-grade mass. Record the method if you need to repeat the result next week.
Worked example with numbers
A scale answers the mass question directly: place the bowl on the scale, tare to 0 g, add flour to 240 g, and then tare again for water or salt. This makes the hydration calculation meaningful because both flour and water are measured in grams. Volume is most vulnerable when a recipe has a high flour proportion or a small amount of yeast, salt, or leavening.
How to make the calculation
If the recipe uses cups but you prefer grams, use the author’s own weight note when it exists. Otherwise choose one published ingredient reference and keep it consistent throughout that bake. The cups-to-grams tool exposes the assumed grams-per-cup value so it can be changed rather than hidden.
Check the units and assumptions
Do not dip the cup into a compacted bag and shake it flat; that can add flour without any visible change in cup volume. Do not sift after measuring when the instruction says sift before measuring. Do not treat a 250 mL metric cup as a U.S. cup without checking the recipe convention.
Common mistakes
A volume method is a practical fallback, not a substitute for a recipe developer’s test method. Flour protein, humidity, milling, storage, and measuring technique can change dough feel. Adjusting liquid by feel may be sensible in an experienced baker’s workflow, but it means the original numeric recipe is no longer being followed exactly.
When this result does not apply
King Arthur Baking explains its spoon-and-level flour method and recommends weighing for consistency. Its guidance supports the physical technique, while the grams-per-cup number still belongs to the specific recipe or ingredient reference being used.
Source for the external fact
Use the ingredient ratio tool for a fixed proportion and the serving scaler before measuring a doubled or halved formula.
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