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If you sift the flour and cocoa together for a recipe, you get rid of the lumps and combine the dry ingredients at the same time.

If wrapped well, flour can be frozen, so buy it in bulk.

In hot, humid weather, flour absorbs less liquid than in dry weather.  That’s why many yeast bread recipes give a range of flour needed to make a soft dough.  Mix in just enough flour until the dough becomes soft instead of sticky.

A pastry blender is best to cut shortening into flour.  It breaks the shortening into small pieces which produces a tender, flaky bread.

For perfectly round rolls, form dough between floured hands.