Let's denote the amount of flour in the original recipe as \( F \) (in cups). According to the problem, the original recipe calls for 2 cups of sugar and \( F \) cups of flour, making the total combined amount of flour and sugar:
\[ F + 2 = \text{Total amount of flour and sugar} \]
Kendra is making a modified recipe that combines the flour and sugar to a total of \( 2.5 \) cups.
Since the original recipe makes 4 loaves, we need to scale down to find the equivalent amounts for 1 loaf. Since Kendra is using the modified recipe for just 1 loaf, we need to express the total from the original recipe also based on 1 loaf.
The total amount of flour and sugar for 4 loaves, using the original recipe, would be:
\[ F + 2 \text{ (for 4 loaves)} \]
For 1 loaf, Kendra needs:
\[ \frac{F + 2}{4} \]
Setting this equal to \( 2.5 \) cups gives us the equation:
\[ \frac{F + 2}{4} = 2.5 \]
Now, we can solve for \( F + 2 \):
-
Multiply both sides by 4: \[ F + 2 = 2.5 \times 4 \] \[ F + 2 = 10 \]
-
Now, solve for \( F \): \[ F = 10 - 2 \] \[ F = 8 \]
Thus, the amount of flour in the original recipe is:
\[ \boxed{8} \text{ cups} \]