If you've used self-raising flour, the lump of dough will expand and just about double in size. You'll know within a minute or so which flour it is.
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!
If you only have plain flour and you need some self-raising, you can make your own by adding 2 tsp baking powder to 150g plain flour.
As a general rule, you probably do not want to use self rising flour if there is another leavening agent called for in the recipe, such as yeast or baking soda. The leavening in the self rising flour should be enough.
The only difference between plain flour and self-raising flour is that self-raising flour already has the raising agent added to it. This is more convenient for some people as it saves the need to buy the baking powder separately.
Can I Substitute Self-Rising Flour for All-Purpose Flour? Yes! If you make a big batch of self-rising flour but don't think you'll use it all making biscuits, for example, 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.
It's important to note that you shouldn't add baking powder to self-raising flour since self-raising flour already contains baking powder.
Also like all-purpose flour, self-rising flour is enriched with added nutrition. It also contains salt and baking powder that has been distributed evenly throughout the flour and acts as a leavening agent. This raising agent helps dough to rise without having to add yeast.
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.
Making self-rising flour at home is easy. 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.
Self-rising flour is a combination of all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Chances are high that you already have those staples in your pantry already too. The blend is typically comprised of 1 cup of all-purpose flour plus 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon fine salt.
Self-raising flour has a specific ratio of flour to baking powder. To replicate self-raising flour the proportion is approximately 1 tsp baking powder: 150gm (1 cup) of plain flour. However, many recipes require a different proportion of baking powder to flour in order to achieve the desired leavening.
When to Use Self-Rising Flour. Use self-rising flour (and variants like self-rising cornmeal) in recipes where an even, consistent crumb is the goal. Self-rising flour is commonly used to make scones, pancakes, cupcakes, muffins, and classic Southern recipes like buttermilk biscuits and cornbread.
"White or all-purpose flour is less nutritious because, in the milling process, they take off the outer bran, which contains most of the dietary fiber, and the germ, which is the heart of the seed. "It's become easy to point a finger and say white foods are bad.
Self-Rising Flour is flour to which baking powder and salt have already been added. It is meant as a convenience so that you don't have to stock baking powder at home, but it does deteriorate quickly in humid conditions, and has the disadvantage that you can't use it for pastry, etc.
As I said before, you can use self rising flour for any desserts – be it cakes, cupcakes, breads, pancakes etc. Even if a recipe doesn't call for self rising flour but calls for all-purpose flour and baking powder, you can check the proportions and use self rising flour to get a beautiful texture in your desserts.
Recipes that call for self-rising flour usually don't list additional baking powder or salt in the ingredients. In this way, self-rising flour is a 3-in-1 ingredient. Typically, self-rising flour is also made using a slightly lower-protein flour than all-purpose flour.
If you have an unopened can of baking powder, please reference the expiration date on the bottom of the can. This date is two years after the day it was manufactured. If you have an opened can of baking powder, please use it within six months.
Bicarbonate of soda is approximately 3 times more powerful than baking powder so it is best to use baking powder when making self raising flour. However, if you only have bicarbonate of soda, sift just over ½ teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda through every 1 cup of plain flour.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), expiration dates do not constitute safety. Expired flour can be safe to use if the flour is still good. However, flour does go bad, which you can determine from smell and appearance.
Pastry flour is best used for: pie crusts, cookies, muffins, pancakes, cakes, biscuits, and bread sticks.
Self-rising flour can throw off the texture and flavor of your baked goods if used incorrectly. It's natural to assume that because self-rising flour eliminates the need for leavening agents in your baked goods that it is a better choice than all-purpose flour for baking.
So if a recipe calls for 250g of self-raising flour, and you only have plain, you need 5% of that 250g to be baking powder. That's 12.5g of baking powder.
How much baking powder should be added to plain flour to make self-raising flour? The answer is 1 tsp of baking powder per 100g of plain 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.