Most recipes for baked goods call for all purpose flour, however once in a while you might come across a recipe you want to try that calls for self rising flour. Can you just go ahead and use your all purpose flour anyway? No, it’s best not to if you want your recipe to turn out well. There is a difference between the two.

The difference between self rising flour and the all purpose flour is that the self rising product already has some baking powder and salt added to it. This is what makes it “self rising” without having to add any other ingredients. But rather than pay the higher price for the self rising flour that you might not use very often, you can quickly and simply make your own self rising flour by adding the baking powder and salt yourself.

When I checked out the self rising flours in the store I also noticed they were only available in the bleached variety. By making your own self rising flour you can create an unbleached variety that would not otherwise be an option.

So here’s the basic formula: To each 1 cup of all purpose flour, you add 1-1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

The nice thing about having a formula like this is that you can make as small or as large of a batch as you would like. In the printable recipe below, I’ll give you the measurements for a large 6 cup batch, but will also include the measurements for smaller size batches too.

Remember that the most accurate way to measure flour is to use the dry ingredient measuring cups. (The kind that come in a set of varying sizes rather than a glass cup with marks on the sides). Use your measuring cup to scoop out enough flour so that the cup is heaping. Then use a knife to level it off.

Once you’ve made you’re homemade self-rising flour mixture, you can use it in recipes that call for this ingredient. I gave it a try in this quick and easy recipe for Beer Bread.

Here’s the complete printable recipe with a variety of size adjustment in the notes too.