How to Blend Flour Into Sour Cream Without Lumps

Sour cream wears many hats -- thickener, enriching agent and tenderizer, to name a few -- but has one major limitation: pH sensitivity. The protein strands in sour cream clump together when acidity increases, resulting in curdling. Curdling occurs most often in the presence of heat, which makes using sour cream in hot dishes difficult. There are several ways to stabilize sour cream at high temperatures, though, the most accessible being the addition of all-purpose flour. You have to avoid lumps when adding flour to sour cream to maximize its effectiveness, so the proper tools, temperature and technique are a must.

Things You'll Need

All-purpose flour
Flour sifter
Stand mixer with balloon whisk attachment
Mixing bowl (optional)

Balloon whisk (optional)
Rubber spatula
Food-storage container

Instructions

Portion the amount of sour cream you want to incorporate with flour into in the bowl of a stand mixer. You need an 8 to 1 ratio of sour cream to flour, or 1/2 cup of sour cream to 1 tablespoon of flour, to thicken and stabilize. You can use a mixing bowl if you don't have a stand mixer. Allow the sour cream to reach room temperature.
Spoon off the liquid that collects on top of the sour cream as it reaches room temperature and discard it. Sift the flour on top of the sour cream.
Attach the balloon whisk attachment to the stand mixer. Balloon whisks are designed to break up lumps in batters. Whisk the sour cream on the low setting for 30 seconds, then adjust the speed to medium and whisk an additional one minute.

If you don't have a stand mixer, whisk the sour cream for three full minutes using a balloon whisk.
Stir the sour cream a few times with a rubber spatula to dissipate the air. Scrape the sour cream into a sealable food-storage container and store it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before using to allow it to settle.

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