As a general rule, don't use self raising flour if there is another leavening agent called for in the recipe such as yeast or baking soda. The leavening in the self raising flour is usually enough. More, don't substitute self raising flour in your recipe without paying close attention to the rest of the recipe.
Do not use self rising flour with yeast-raised breads or sourdough. 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.
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!
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.
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.
1. To substitute self-rising for all-purpose flour, look for recipes that use baking powder: about ½ teaspoon per cup of flour, minimum. Our self-rising flour includes both a concentrated form of baking powder, and salt.
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.
All-purpose flour, known as plain flour in Australia and “AP flour” among some bakers globally, is a general use white flour commonly used in making pasta, bread, pizza dough, pastries and other baked goods.
Unless you're an avid baker, plain flour is usually your best option because its average protein content makes it highly flexible for baking purposes.
Self-rising flour does not contain baking soda so if you are using self-rising flour and the recipe calls for baking soda be sure to add it.
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.
As long as the recipe you're making calls for leavening agents (as banana bread does), you can easily substitute self-rising for all-purpose flour. According to the baking pros at King Arthur Flour, look for recipes that use about ½-teaspoon of baking powder per cup of flour.
Self-rising flour can throw off the texture and flavor of your baked goods if used incorrectly.
Pastry flour is best used for: pie crusts, cookies, muffins, pancakes, cakes, biscuits, and bread sticks.
It should come as no surprise that the best flour for baking cakes is, well, cake flour. Cake flour contains the perfect amount of protein to give your cake structure and create the texture you're after. It's often found in a box – not a bag – and feels silky-smooth to the touch.
While the terms self raising flour and self rising flour are often used interchangeably, they are not the same thing. Self raising flour is most commonly used in the UK, New Zealand and Australia. This flour is made from plain all purpose flour and baking powder.
Cake flour is also sold in Australia as biscuit flour or pastry flour. It is made from softer wheat, which enables it to absorb more moisture and sugar. It has a lower protein level of around 6-9%, producing a softer texture in cakes, a flakier and moist pastry and a perfect crumb in cookies and biscuits.
Bread recipes usually ask for plain flour, and that's because the raising agent comes from the yeast working with the water, flour and salt. If you use self-raising flour, your bread won't rise evenly and you could end up with a stodgy crumb.
Adding too much extra leavening in the hope of making something rise more can actually have the opposite effect. If there is too much leavening in the cake then as the cake bakes the it rises up too much and then falls back very quickly as the cake cools, leaving a sunken cake with a very wrinkled surface.
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.
Do you use plain or self-raising flour for the batter? Self-raising flour helps add air, which results in a light, crispy batter. If you only have plain flour at home, add a little baking powder to the batter.
If you're looking to bake lighter, crunchier cookies, self-rising flour might be an ideal substitution. Although the flavor itself won't be affected by swapping self-rising flour for the all-purpose flour that your recipe calls for, the finished cookie will have a slightly different consistency and a lighter texture.
Do not use self-rising flour. Cake flour is available in the US and has a lower gluten level than all-purpose flour. It could be used in the cake but could make it slightly crumbly.