What Is Flour, self-rising and How Can I Use It?

If self-rising flour has turned up in a recipe or caught your eye at the store, here's what you need to use it with confidence and how to choose it, cook it, store it, what to substitute, and 175 recipes to try it in.

What is self-rising flour?

Self-rising flour is flour which has been blended with salt and baking powder, so that the flour comes with its own leavening. This type of flour is especially popular in the American South, where it is commonly used in biscuits, cakes, and various dessert items, but it can be found all over the world. Basically, the feature which distinguishes self-rising flour is the addition of leavening, which cuts a step out of food preparation.

Because self-rising flour is often used in pastries, it is typically lower in protein than other kinds of flours. This has an impact on the way the flour behaves. Foods made with self-rising flour tend to be lighter, fluffier, and more crumbly. This can be a disadvantage for breads, depending on the type of bread one is attempting to make. Some cooks swear by self-rising flour, arguing that it makes the tenderest, lightest baked goods.

If you have a recipe which requires self-rising flour and you don't have any around, you will need to add salt and baking powder to the recipe for it to turn out right. You may also see recipes which require self-rising cake flour, a low-protein, lightweight flour which has been mixed with leavening. You can use regular cake flour with added leavening as a substitute in these cases.

One thing to be aware of when using self-rising flour is that baking powder is activated as soon as it is exposed to moisture. This means that baked goods should be put in the oven as soon as possible after the wet and dry ingredients are mixed, because otherwise the food will rise outside the oven, and collapse when it gets inside. This is also a danger with any type of quick-leavened food made with baking soda or baking powder, so if you're been struggling with flattened cookies or sagging cakes, this may explain your problem.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 cup (125g)

Amount per Serving

Calories 442Calories from Fat 10

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 1.2g 2%

Saturated Fat 0.2g 1%

Trans Fat ~

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 1587mg 66%

Total Carbohydrate 92.8g 31%

Dietary Fiber 3g 14%

Sugars 0.3

Protein 12.4g

Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 0%

Calcium 42% • Iron 32%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your caloric needs.

recipeland.com/nutrition

Where found

Self-rising flour is usually found in the baking supplies section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

Food group

Flour, self-rising is a member of the Cereal Grains and Pasta US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.

How much does self-rising flour weigh?

Amount	Weight
1 cup	125 grams

Cereal Grains and Pasta

Amaranth flour 28 Arrowroot flour 91 Pearl barley 219 Buckwheat flour 37 Cracked wheat (bulgur) 179 Cornmeal 811 Cornstarch 2554 Couscous 155 Millet 62 Quinoa 111

In Chinese:	面粉，自上升
British (UK) term:
en français:	la farine, l'auto-augmentation
en español:	harina, con levadura

Recipes using self-rising flour

There are 175 recipes that contain this ingredient.

Reduced-Fat Apple Muffins

This apple muffins are rich in fibire and low-fat, they are fit for all!

Breakfast Ricotta Pancakes

Ricotta pancakes whisk creamy ricotta into a simple self-rising flour batter for tender, moist, custardy pancakes. A quick breakfast stack that's lovely with fresh berries, syrup, or a spoon of cream.

Yummy Peanut Butter Brownies

Peanut butter brownies made in one saucepan, no mixer needed. Brown sugar keeps them chewy, peanut butter makes them rich, and pockets of melted chocolate run throughout. Quick to stir together.

Strawberry Yoghurt Muffins

Moist strawberry muffins made with fresh berries, yogurt, and a hint of lemon. These tender breakfast treats work with fresh or frozen strawberries.

Best Orange Banana Quickbread

Orange banana quickbread sweetened entirely with bananas and orange juice concentrate, no added sugar. Spiced with pumpkin pie spice for a fragrant, naturally sweet snack loaf.

Yummy Honey Pancakes

Honey pancakes cook thick, fluffy pancakes inside crumpet rings, drizzled with warmed honey and topped with fresh fruit. British-style tea-time pancake ready in 30 minutes.

Bakestone Pancakes

Welsh bakestone pancakes (also called Welsh cakes' simpler cousin): four ingredients, no leavening trickery, cooked on a hot griddle until bubbles form. Serve warm with butter, honey or jam.

Chocolate Raspberry Muffins

Chocolate raspberry muffins with a homemade raspberry jam swirl, melty chocolate chips, and a tender buttermilk crumb. Bakery-style breakfast muffins from a few pantry staples.

Yummy Boxty Pancakes

Boxty is the traditional Irish potato pancake that blends fluffy mashed potato with raw grated potato into a tender, golden cake. Pan-fried crisp and served with bacon, tomatoes, and a dollop of sour cream.

Bread for Toast

Tasty, easily manipulated bread for making french toast, or just for having with your meal.

Mom's Choco-Mint Brownies

Chocolate mint brownies made with cocoa powder, mint extract, and chopped nuts in a one-bowl batter. A fudgy 8x8 pan that yields 16 squares with the classic Andes-mint-meets-brownie combo.

Boozy date & Coffee Cake

Boozy date and Coffee Cake with Lime Buttercream Icing, Using Atholl Brose, a traditional Scottish Whisky liqeuer. Perfect with a cuppa' Joe :)

Cottage Pie!

So to start off with the first post, I decided to make a meal that screams of comfort food. Whilst it does take a bit of a while to get the meal done, once you take that first bite, heaven couldn’t seem closer if you were Adam trying to touch God’s finger in the “Creation of Adam” fresco created by Michaelangelo. The meal I speak of is Cottage Pie. There is much debate as to what exactly a cottage pie is and how it is different to a Shepherd’s pie...I don’t know. The dominant theory is that Sheperds pie uses lamb mince, whilst a cottage pie uses beef mince. I don’t know about you, but the term “Sheperds Pie” does not get my tastebuds going quite as well, so I prefer the term cottage pie. Besides, comparing the price of ground (mince) beef to ground lamb, a student would pick up the beef mince in a heartbeat without even so much as glancing at the lamb in the meat section. This cottage pie that I made is full of flavour, and just makes you want to cuddle up next to a fire and watch TCM movies all day either by yourself, or with a significant other. Here is the recipe:

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

Pumpkin spice pancakes made with real pumpkin puree, melted butter, and pumpkin pie spice. Fluffy, warmly spiced, and on the table in 10 minutes.

Light Waffles

These waffles were super light just like the name. I made my own self-rising flour with whole wheat flour, and the waffles still came out light and fluffy. We had them with a homemade raspberry sauce and maple candied almonds. An excellent choice of breakfast.