While it may look like regular flour, self-rising flour has a secret ingredient that makes baking easier. Here’s everything you need to know about how to use, substitute, and store it.
If you’ve ever flipped through a Southern cookbook or watched your grandmother whip up quick bread or biscuits without using leavening agents, chances are, you’ve run into self-rising flour. Simply, it’s all-purpose flour that already has baking powder and salt mixed in—usually about 1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder and ¼ teaspoon of salt per cup of flour.
What is Self-Rising Flour?
Self-rising flour is like an all-in-one baking solution. But to understand what self-rising flour is, we need to take a quick look at its magic ingredient. The magic ingredient here is the baking powder—a dry chemical leavening agent used in baking to help doughs and batters rise and become light and fluffy.
All-purpose flour is the most versatile type of flour among the different types of flour. To make it easier for home bakers so they don’t have to bother measuring leavening agents. American companies developed self-rising flour, which is all-purpose flour that comes pre-loaded with baking powder and salt, ready to lift your quick breads and pancakes to fluffy perfection. But don’t mistake this for the do-it-all all-purpose flour. When a recipe calls for self-rising flour and you don’t have any, simply mix the flour with 1½ teaspoons of baking powder and ¼ teaspoon per cup before preparing the other ingredients.
In the United Kingdom, self-rising flour is known as self-raising flour, and it’s not pre-salted like the American version. Where they kept the self-rising recipe as it was first invented by Henry Jones in 1845, a blend of all-purpose flour and baking powder. Before spreading across the Atlantic and Southern bakers adopted and adapted it into the flour we know today.
What Does It Taste Like?
Not all types of self-rising flour are created equal, so they differ slightly from each other. But in general, self-rising flour carries a lightly salty, faintly tangy taste. However, if you accidentally use it in a recipe that already calls for salt and baking powder, you may notice that the taste tends to be salty and the texture becomes slightly bitter due to the increased amount of baking powder.
Nutritional Profile of Self-Rising Flour
Per 1 cup (about 120 grams), self-rising flour typically contains:
- Calories: 330 kcal
- Protein: 12 g
- Fat: 2 g
- Carbs: 90 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Sodium: 960 mg (from added salt)
Compared with all-purpose flour, the main nutritional difference is the sodium. So if you’re baking for someone on a low-sodium diet, keep this in mind. Most US brands also sell enriched versions, meaning they’ve added back iron and B vitamins to meet enrichment standards. You can read more about what enriched flour means on the Wikipedia page for enriched flour.
How to Bake with Self-Rising Flour
When baking with self-rising flour, the golden rule is to remember that it already contains salt and baking powder. That means you don’t need to add extra leavening or much salt, or your recipe may end up overly salty or bitter. Self-rising flour works best in simple recipes like 3 ingredient banana bread, scones, pancakes, and other bakes where tenderness matters more than structure. To get the best results, handle the dough or batter gently, since overmixing can make your baked goods tough.
Common mistakes to watch out for include trying to use self-raising flour in yeast breads as a substitute for bread flour, forgetting to adjust recipes that already call for leavening, or keeping it too long in the pantry, which causes the baking powder to lose its strength. If you need to substitute self-rising flour in recipes that call for all-purpose flour, remember to eliminate any additional baking powder or salt for balanced results.
Self-Rising Flour Substitute
If a recipe calls for self-rising flour and you don’t have enough? Don’t worry! You can craft your self-rising flour substitute. Mix 1 cup (120 grams) all-purpose flour with 1 ½ teaspoons (6 grams) baking powder and ¼ teaspoon (1.5 grams) salt to achieve the same leavening effect as self-rising flour. If the recipe calls for baking soda, you can still add it to maintain the desired chemical reaction.
For those seeking gluten-free options, the process is similar. Use 1 cup of gluten-free flour, 1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon of salt. You may also need to add xanthan gum or a baking binder if not pre-added.
Check my homemade self-rising flour recipe for more information.
Where to Buy Self-Rising Flour
Finding self-rising flour is as easy as a click of a button, as it’s widely sold in the baking aisles of supermarkets, grocery stores, and online retailers ready to deliver straight to your doorstep. Leading options include the King Arthur Baking Company, White Lily, and Matthews.
Storage
To keep your self-rising flour fresh and your final baked goods rising tall, maintaining its leavening powder is essential. Store your self-rising flour in a cool, dry place, ideally below 70°F. A pantry or kitchen cupboard away from any heat sources is perfect. Moisture, air, and heat can cause the baking powder to lose effectiveness, which would mean less rise in your recipes. If you live somewhere particularly warm or humid, using airtight containers is a game-changer. Consider using mason jars or vacuum-sealed bags; both options help prevent air and moisture leakage, which can accelerate the deterioration process.
