Self-rising flour

Self-rising flour is soft white flour with baking powder mixed in, so it rises in the oven without any extra leavening. It is used for biscuits, sponge cakes, scones, pancakes, dumplings and quick breads. The American kind also has salt added. The British kind, called self-raising flour, has no salt. Both lose their power over time, as the baking powder slowly reacts with moisture in the air.

How to do it

To make your own:

1. For American self-rising flour, use 125 g (1 cup) of all-purpose flour, 1½ teaspoons of baking powder and ¼ teaspoon of fine salt.
2. For British self-raising flour, add 2 level teaspoons of baking powder to each 150 g of all-purpose flour (plain flour in the UK), with no salt.
3. Whisk together well, or sift twice, so the baking powder is spread evenly.

Make only what you need. Mixed flour does not keep as long as all-purpose flour.

How to use it

The names differ:

• Self-rising flour in the US, mostly from the South, where it is used for biscuits (similar to British scones). It is often made from soft, low-protein wheat and has salt added.
• Self-raising flour in the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. It has no salt added.

If a recipe uses self-rising flour, do not add baking powder unless the recipe says so. When you use American self-rising flour in a British recipe that calls for self-raising flour, cut the salt in the recipe by about ¼ teaspoon for each cup of flour.

If a British recipe uses self-raising flour and also adds baking powder, that is on purpose, often for an all-in-one sponge where the batter is mixed only briefly.

How to store it

Keep it in an airtight container in a dry cupboard and use it within a few months of opening. To test it, stir a spoonful into hot water. If it does not bubble at all, its rise is weak, so add ½ teaspoon of baking powder per 150 g, or buy fresh flour.

Common mistakes

• Using it for bread. Yeast doughs need all-purpose or bread flour.
• Using it in place of all-purpose flour for a roux or for pastry. The pastry puffs and turns cakey.
• Adding extra baking powder by habit. Cakes rise fast and then sink.

In recipes

You will see "225 g self-raising flour", "2 cups self-rising flour" and "SR flour".

Where it comes from

Self-raising flour was patented in England in the 1840s by Henry Jones, a baker in Bristol, who promoted it for ships' bread at sea.