Pastry time?
Biomedical and Electrical Engineer with interests in information theory, evolution, genetics, abstract mathematics, microbiology, big history, IndieWeb, mnemonics, and the entertainment industry including: finance, distribution, representation
I recall reading somewhere that Fanny Farmer and her eponymous and illustrious (read:nefarious if you're a baker) cookbook heavily influenced American (home) bakers to move from measuring flour by weight to measuring by volume instead. It's done such a disservice to the bread world here in the states. I suspect this is where the need to sift has stemmed as the amount of sifted flour in one cup can be drastically different from a packed cup.
I definitely ignore any cookbooks (with bread and pastry) that measure flour by volume over weight. It's just sacrilege.
Read it and eat it: Hopkins hosts annual 'Edible Books' contest http:/
I just bought: 'Dexter-Russell - Sani-Safe 19783 6"x3" White Dough Cutter/Scraper via @amazon http:/