What does a "scant" cup mean??

suziquzie

suziquzie

New member
I bought a new bread book. :whistling:

100 Great Breads by Paul Hollywood....

it was on sale.... cheap... could not be helped.

Anyway, most of the measurements for flour is "scant 4 cups......"

My guess is this means "around 4 cups give or take"? :confused:
 
My understanding of the term is just a bit under a level cup or the opposite of a heaping cup. To me it not enough to make a major difference in a given recipe but I don't bake so don't know for sure how it apply for baking. I know baking is more like a formula instead of a recipe. By that a formula one follows to the exact measure while a recipe is a guide that can be changed to your own style.
 
I think in baking it means to make absolutely certain it is no more than the amount listed. You know how some people don't level off the flour when measuring? (LOL - I'm so guilty of this.)
 
lol.... some of the water measurements says it too now that i look thru a little more.... hmmm.... crazy europeans and their big words.....
 
a quick google search revealed:

scant (sk
abreve.gif
nt)adj. scant·er, scant·est 1. Barely sufficient: paid scant attention to the lecture.
2. Falling short of a specific measure: a scant cup of sugar.
3. Inadequately supplied; short: We were scant of breath after the lengthy climb.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/scant
 
It is a silly way to write a baking recipe, since baking is pretty precise. I wonder if that's why so many recipes now say eg: 4 cups less 1 tblspoon - maybe that's the American equivalent of scant 4 cups.
 
I go along with the others - a scant up is one is just barely/slightly under the measure. This is why I prefer weights for my measurements
 
I said ALMOST.... it was hard to hold all those bubbles in my nose, but, as you know may know, my family has extra special noses.........
 
Your question was answered correctly Suzie. A scant cup is a bit less than a cup--not to the top--it is a rough measurement.
 
When a baking recipe calls for "scant" of an ingredient, I measure my usual way then take out a smidgen. It always works out. Should you take out too much, you can always put back a tinge to a pinch and it should be fine. Just don't get too anal and concern yourself with every iota, because it should bake out fine with a touch more or less of any ingredient.

Hope this helped.

Keltin, I can't vouch for that. I'm married to a brunette (at least that's what the carton says).:brows:
 
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