What Is a Substitute for Self-Rising Flour?

What's the best self-rising flour substitute?

Whisk together 1 cup of all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. This matches commercial self-rising flour and works as a 1-to-1 replacement in any recipe that calls for self-rising flour.

For multiple-cup amounts, scale proportionally: 2 cups self-rising flour equals 2 cups AP flour plus 3 teaspoons baking powder plus 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix the dry ingredients thoroughly so the baking powder is evenly distributed before adding to the recipe.

Why does self-rising flour use these specific amounts?

Commercial self-rising flour typically contains about 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon of salt per cup of flour. This ratio is calibrated for recipes that use self-rising flour as the main leavening source, like biscuits, pancakes, and Southern-style quick breads.

The baking powder amount provides enough lift for most recipes without overdoing it. The salt enhances flavor without making the result salty. Recipes designed for self-rising flour assume these amounts are already in the flour, which is why adding extra leavening or salt to a self-rising flour recipe makes the result wrong.

Can you use cake flour or bread flour instead of all-purpose?

For Southern-style biscuits and certain quick breads, cake flour gives more tender results than AP flour. Use 1 cup of cake flour plus the same baking powder and salt amounts. Some recipes specifically use 'self-rising cake flour' for ultra-tender biscuits.

Bread flour with self-rising additions doesn't work as well because the higher protein creates more gluten than self-rising recipes expect. The biscuits or pancakes turn out tougher and chewier. Stick with AP flour or cake flour as the base for the DIY self-rising mix.

When does the self-rising flour substitute fail?

For recipes that depend on self-rising flour's specific protein content (certain Southern biscuit recipes, traditional pancake recipes), the DIY mix matches well but isn't always identical. White Lily brand self-rising flour, for example, uses soft winter wheat with lower protein than typical AP flour, which is why some Southern biscuit recipes are best with White Lily specifically.

For substituting in the other direction (using self-rising flour in a recipe that calls for AP flour), remove any baking powder and salt the recipe lists. The flour already has them. This conversion is more error-prone than the DIY direction, so it's usually easier to just buy AP flour or make the DIY self-rising mix.