Make Your Own Self-Rising Flour With One Easy Trick (2024)

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  • Ingredient Information
  • Basic Ingredients

By

Diana Rattray

Make Your Own Self-Rising Flour With One Easy Trick (1)

Diana Rattray

Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.

Learn about The Spruce Eats'Editorial Process

Updated on 10/6/23

Tested by

Danielle Centoni

Make Your Own Self-Rising Flour With One Easy Trick (2)

Tested byDanielle Centoni

Danielle is a James Beard Award-winning food writer and editor based in Portland, Oregon.

Learn about The Spruce Eats'Editorial Process

Prep: 3 mins

Cook: 0 mins

Total: 3 mins

Serving: 1 serving

Yield: 1 cup

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Got a recipe that calls for self-rising flour and don't have it on hand? Or don't have any idea what self-rising flour is? It's just what it sounds like—a type of flour that makes baked goods rise without the addition of baking powder or yeast.

Self-rising flour is often called for in recipes forbiscuits, cornbread, and quick breads. It's particularly popular in Southern recipes. Because the leavening agents are already included there's less measuring and mixing involved when you use it. But if you don't have it on hand there's absolutely no need to run out to the store to buy it—you can whip up self-rising flour at home with three ingredients you almost surely have in your pantry.

What Is the Difference Between All-Purpose Flour and Self-Rising Flour?

All-purpose flour is just straight-up flour with nothing added to it. Self-rising is a combination of flour, baking powder, and salt.

The self-rising flour you buy at the store is usually made with soft wheat, which has less protein than the hard wheat used to make all-purpose flour. Self-rising flour is usually 8.5 percent to 10.5 percent protein, whereas all-purpose flour is in the 10 percent to 12 percent range.

As a result, your homemade self-rising flour, made with all-purpose flour, should have a slightly higher protein content than you're used to if you bake with store-bought self-rising flour regularly. Because of the protein difference, you may find that baked goods come out a bit less tender than usual, but most people can't tell the difference.

How Do I Turn All-Purpose Flour into Self-Rising Flour?

To turn all-purpose flour into self-rising flour you just need to add baking powder and regular old fine table salt. You'll need 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon of salt for each cup of flour. You can scale up the recipe if needed; just be sure to add the proper amount of baking powder and salt per cup of flour.

Can I Substitute Self-Rising Flour for All-Purpose Flour?

Yes! Self-rising flour will work in recipes that call for about 1/2 teaspoon (and up to 1 teaspoon) baking powder per cup of flour. If, however, your recipe calls for more than 1 teaspoon of baking powder per cup of flour, just add sufficient baking powder to compensate for the difference.

Tips for Working With Self-Rising Flour

  • Omit the salt—If using this self-rising flour in yeast breadsor rolls,omit any salt called for in the recipe.
  • Measuring flour—The most accurate way to measure flour is by weight. One cup of flour typically weighs about 4 1/2 ounces. If you don't have a scale, stir the flour and spoon it into the measuring cup (without compacting it). Level off the flour with a knife or the handle of a wooden spoon.
  • Don't skip the soda!—If the recipe you're making calls for baking soda, make sure to include it. Baking soda and baking powder have different chemical makeups and one cannot be substituted for the other.

How to Store Self-Rising Flour

You can make just enough self-rising flour for one recipe or mix up a bigger batch to keep on hand. If you make it ahead, proper storage is key—keep it in an airtight container in a cool, dry place so that the baking powder doesn't activate prematurely.

The Right Way to Store Flour at Home

Make Your Own Self-Rising Flour With One Easy Trick (4)

"Many biscuit recipes call for self-rising flour, and since the potency of baking powder diminishes over time, you'll have wasted your money if you don’t use up the flour. Make it yourself! I mixed this up in no time and used it to make a scone recipe that called for self-rising flour. It worked great." —Danielle Centoni

Make Your Own Self-Rising Flour With One Easy Trick (5)

A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Make Your Own Self-Rising Flour With One Easy Trick (6)

  2. Measure the flour into a bowl or container.

    Make Your Own Self-Rising Flour With One Easy Trick (7)

  3. Add the baking powder and salt to the flour.

    Make Your Own Self-Rising Flour With One Easy Trick (8)

  4. Use a whisk or spoon to blend the flour mixture thoroughly before you use it in a recipe.

    Make Your Own Self-Rising Flour With One Easy Trick (9)

Helpful Links

  • Simple Recipe for Cake Flour Substitute
  • The Best Substitute for Bread Flour
  • DIY Pastry Flour Substitutes

Recipes That Use Self-Rising Flour

Try your homemade self-rising flour in the following recipes:

  • Ice cream bread
  • Buttermilk biscuits
  • Traditional rock cakes
  • Easy cinnamon rolls
  • Nutella cookies

4-Ingredient Mayonnaise Biscuits Recipe

  • Basic Ingredients
  • Southern Food
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
459Calories
1g Fat
97g Carbs
13g Protein

×

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1
Amount per serving
Calories459
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 1g2%
Saturated Fat 0g1%
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 1263mg55%
Total Carbohydrate 97g35%
Dietary Fiber 3g12%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 13g
Vitamin C 0mg0%
Calcium 425mg33%
Iron 7mg36%
Potassium 135mg3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Recipe Tags:

  • flour
  • self rising flour
  • british
  • fall

Article Sources

The Spruce Eats uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

  1. Self rising flour. USDA Agricultural Research Service: FoodData Central. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/497310/nutrients.

  2. Wheat flour, white, all-purpose, unenriched. USDA Agricultural Research Service: FoodData Central. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/497310/nutrients.

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Make Your Own Self-Rising Flour With One Easy Trick (2024)

FAQs

How do I make all-purpose flour into self-rising flour? ›

Just use this basic formula: For every 1 cup of all-purpose flour, add 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon fine salt. Whisk the ingredients thoroughly in a large bowl or put them in a glass jar and shake well. Store your self-rising flour in an airtight container in the pantry.

What is a substitute for 1 cup of self-rising flour? ›

For every cup of self-rising flour, substitute one cup of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon baking soda.

How do you make 2 cups of plain flour into self-raising flour? ›

For example, if a recipe calls for 2 cups of self-rising flour, you would mix together 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 3 teaspoons baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt. You can also scale the recipe up to make a larger batch of DIY self-rising flour and store it for later use.

How to make self-raising flour with plain flour and baking soda? ›

To create self-raising flour from plain flour - for 150g/1 cup plain flour use half-teaspoon baking powder and half-teaspoon of bicarbonate soda (also known as baking soda).

What will happen if I use all-purpose flour instead of self rising? ›

If a recipe calls for self-raising flour it is doing so because it is relying on the raising agents in that flour to make the baked good 'rise'. If you use plain flour instead and don't add any raising agents you will most likely end up with a very flat, dense bake!

What to do if you only have plain flour and not self-raising? ›

Just add 2 teaspoons of baking powder for each 150g/6oz/1 cup plain flour. Sift the flour and baking powder together into a bowl before using, to make sure the baking powder is thoroughly distributed (or you can put both ingredients into a bowl and whisk them together).

Does self-rising flour make a difference? ›

If you use self rising flour in your baked goods recipes that call for this product, you will see that your cakes and breads always rise perfectly, and more importantly, that you get a consistent rise every time. These recipes do not even call for a leavening agent in addition to the self rising flour.

Which flour is best for frying all-purpose or self-rising flour? ›

I like to use self-rising flour for fried chicken because it will automatically puff up a little and be extra crispy. You can also use regular flour with a little baking soda and baking powder mixed in.

Can I use cake flour instead of self-rising flour? ›

To use cake flour in a recipe that calls for self-rising all-purpose flour use 1 cup cake flour and 2 tablespoons, ½ teaspoon baking powder and ¼ teaspoon salt. To use cake flour in a recipe that calls for self-rising cake flour use 1 cup cake flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder and ¼ teaspoon salt.

What is 1 cup of self-raising flour? ›

For every cup of self-raising flour called for in your recipe, measure out 1 level cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour. Add 2 tsp. (8 grams) baking powder. Whisk to combine.

How much baking soda for 1 cup of flour? ›

That is why you will notice that recipes usually call for a small amount of baking soda, typically ¼ teaspoon per 1 cup of flour. Do not make the mistake of trying to substitute equal parts baking soda for baking powder in recipes. Your baked goods will have no leavening, be quite flat, and have an altered taste.

What is self-raising flour called in the USA? ›

List
United StatesCanadaUK
all-purpose flourall-purpose flourplain flour
self-rising flourself-rising flourself-raising flour
cornstarch or corn starchcornstarchcorn flour
golden raisinssultana raisinssultanas
47 more rows

Can you make your own self-rising flour? ›

It is fairly easy to make your own self-raising flour. Just add 2 teaspoons of baking powder for each 150g/6oz/1 cup plain flour.

How to tell if flour is self-rising? ›

Apparently “self-raising flour has a tingle on your tongue while plain flour doesn't.” That's because self-raising has baking powder in it. Another option is to add a squeeze of lemon juice or some vinegar to a spoonful of the flour to see if it bubbles – if it does, it's self-raising flour.

How much baking powder for 2 cups of flour? ›

General Guideline

As a general rule of thumb, you'll want to use about 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder per cup of all-purpose flour.

What is the difference between all-purpose flour and self-raising flour? ›

What exactly sets plain flour and self-raising flour apart? What is the difference? Self-raising flour has a raising agent, and sometimes salt, already added to it. Plain flour requires you to add your raising agents separately to make your bakes rise.

How much baking soda per cup of flour? ›

A good rule of thumb, according to Corriher, is that 1 cup of flour can be leavened by ¼ teaspoon baking soda or 1 to 1¼ teaspoons of baking powder. Corriher says you can neutralize 1 cup mildly acidic ingredient (sour cream, buttermilk) with ½ teaspoon of soda.

Can I use baking soda instead of baking powder? ›

Remember that baking soda is 3-4 times stronger than baking powder, so you'll need a lot more baking powder to get the same leavening action. As a general rule, triple the amount of baking powder for the amount of baking soda called for in a recipe. For example, 1 teaspoon baking soda = 3 teaspoons baking powder.

References

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