do i need to premix dry ingredients?

We're always trying to find shortcuts to make our mixing and baking easier. One we've struggled with is - do we really need to mix the flour, leavener, salt and things like cocoa powder in a separate bowl before adding to the mixer?

Our simple answer is not usually. When we make small batches of cookies and cakes, we often add all the dry ingredients except for the flour to the creamed base, after we add any eggs. We make sure it is mixed in thoroughly so when we add the flour, all those important ingredients are well distributed throughout our mix. We notice that the professional bakers at King Arthur Flour do that as well, so maybe our laziness doesn't matter. After all, who wants to clean another bowl?

We don't recommend this abbreviated process for mixed flours (or flour + oatmeal)  - or for really large batches, as we haven't tested it out. But if you're using a SideSwipe, which mixes so much better than a standard beater, it may be OK for bigger mixes as well.

Let us know what your experience is!