Self Raising flour

Self raising flour, why do I keep that in my cupboard along with plain flour, easy, it’s a similar price as plain flour, (all purpose flour) it sits beside the plain flour in the shops, mum uses it so I use it.  Until that day I ran out of self raising flour with all the other ingredients already measured and in the bowl.

I knew you could make your own, it just never occurred to me to do it.  So I googled and found Nigella Lawsons site.  She doesn’t use self raising flour apparently as the baking powder portion of it loses it’s rising power (or words to that sort) after a while.

I like it when reasons are given for actions, I need to know the logic of things.  I don’t always understand it but I grasp it where I can.

So easy, for each cup of plain flour (all purpose)  use 2 teaspoons of baking powder.

So far I have not bought self raising flour for 2 months as I’m working on only buying 1 flour.  Added bonus it takes up less room in my pantry cupboard, 1 less container.

I like that because I’m using more baking powder I’m going through it quicker, so in theory should have better rising flour.  Sometimes my baking powder got pretty close to the use by date, so  less effective in it’s rising powers.

So far so good!

**Updating. 

I’ve decided unless you have a lot of sugar in your recipe 2 teaspoons baking powder per 1 cup of plain or all purpose flour is a little too much, so I’ve kicked it back to about 1 2/3 teaspoons of baking powder.  This way I don’t get the after taste you can sometimes get especially if you don’t have a lot of sugar. She must use a lot in her recipes.

Also found out that Australia is one of the few countries that actually uses pre packaged self raising flour, go figure.