Instructions: QRecipes for baked goods often say to mix the dry ingredients separately, then add them to the wet ingredients. Why not add flour, spices and all dry ingredients separately, in turn, to the wet ingredients?

A When the dry ingredients are combined first, they are distributed uniformly throughout the mixture. When you add them to the wet ingredients, they remain uniformly distributed. But if you add the flour to the wet ingredients, then stop mixing to measure and mix in the salt, then stop to measure and mix in the baking soda, etc., you would wind up overmixing the batter. That overdevelops the flours gluten, leading to a tougher product.

Also, certain dry ingredients could clump together if added separately to wet batter. Cornstarch is notorious for clumping into a gelatinous mess. But if its grains are already scattered throughout the other dry ingredients, they cant clump.

A third reason: Any baking powder would begin to do its work by fizzing as soon as it is added to the wet batter. We dont want that to happen until its ready for the oven.

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