The reason for the volcano is you can mix the flour in a little at a time and watch it until it hits the right consistency. That's not very relevant if you're u

The reason for the volcano is you can mix the flour in a little at a time and watch it until it hits the right consistency. That's not very relevant if you're using Gold Medal AP or some flour that's made in a high volume factory, they've got lab equipment to make sure their flours are consistent. (Once you get a really good feel for it, you also may notice differences depending on things like humidity.) If you're getting artisan flour, it's more relevant. I suppose you can still do this in a large enough bowl too, but you're going to turn it out onto your counter anyway to knead or roll or whatever, so the bowl is just dirtying another dish. It probably does minimize the amount of flour on your shirt and floor after. And you've probably got a dishwasher. So do whatever makes you happy, but I like the volcano.