How to Make Self-Rising Flour
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Self-rising flour is simply flour with a bit of baking soda and salt mixed in, so it’s easy to make yourself. Here’s how to make this Southern staple, if you’ve run out, or can’t find it where you live.
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
What You Do:
Whisk the ingredients together in a bowl, until well combined.
Use your homemade self-rising flour now, or store it in an air-tight container. It’ll keep for several months, just like the store-bought stuff.
This recipe makes the equivalent of one cup of self-rising flour.
Working on a recipe that calls for more than a cup? Here’s how to make as much as you need:
For 2 cups: 2 cups AP flour + 1 tbsp. baking powder + 1/2 tsp. salt.
For 3 cups: 3 cups AP flour + 1 1/2 tbsp. baking powder + 3/4 tsp. salt.
For 4 cups: 4 cups AP flour + 2 tbsp. baking powder + 1 tsp. salt.
For 5 cups: 5 cups AP flour + 2 1/2 tbsp. baking powder + 1-1/4 tsp. salt.
For 6 cups: 6 cups AP flour + 3 tbsp. baking powder + 1-1/2 tsp. salt.
How to Make a Big Batch of Self-Rising Flour
Want to make enough self-rising flour to restock your pantry? To make the equivalent of one 5-lb bag of store-bought (over very close to it), combine:
18 cups all-purpose flour
9 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
How Close is This to the Store-Bought Stuff?
The self-rising flour you’re used to buying at the store contains a bit less protein than this homemade version. It’s made with soft wheat, rather than the hard wheat that goes into all-purpose flour. Because of this, you may notice that your biscuits aren’t quite as tender as usual. In most recipes, however, the difference will be undetectable.
If you have pastry flour on hand, use it in place of the all-purpose flour that’s called for. It contains nearly the same amount of protein as the flour used in commercially-produced self-rising flour.
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How to Make Self-Rising Flour
Here’s how to make self-rising flour to use in biscuits, fried chicken and all your other Southern favorites.
- Total Time: 2 minutes
- Yield: 1 cup 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1–1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
Whisk all the ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl, until well combined. Then, use or store in an air-tight container. It’ll keep for months, if stored properly.
This makes one cup of self-rising flour.
Measurements for Bigger Batches
For 2 cups: 2 cups AP flour + 1 tbsp. baking powder + 1/2 tsp. salt.
For 3 cups: 3 cups AP flour + 1 1/2 tbsp. baking powder + 3/4 tsp. salt.
For 4 cups: 4 cups AP flour + 2 tbsp. baking powder + 1 tsp. salt.
For 5 cups: 5 cups AP flour + 2 1/2 tbsp. baking powder + 1-1/4 tsp. salt.
For 6 cups: 6 cups AP flour + 3 tbsp. baking powder + 1-1/2 tsp. salt.
Bulk Batch:
Store-bought self-rising flour comes in 5-lb bags. Here’s how to make the equivalent at home:
- 18 cups all-purpose flour
- 9 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
*In the interest of keeping the measurements clean, this makes a speck less than 5-lbs.
Notes
This homemade self-rising flour has a smidge more protein than the store-bought kind, so your biscuits and baked goods might be slightly less tender. Most people won’t even be able to notice the difference. For a closer approximation of the store-bought kind, use pastry flour, instead of all-purpose flour.
- Prep Time: 2 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Ingredient Substitutions
- Method: Mix
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: how to make self-rising flour, self-rising flour substitute
