Can I Use Self Raising Flour Instead Of Plain Flour

So there I was, standing in my tiny kitchen at 11 p.m., covered in a suspicious cloud of flour. I was halfway through a very ambitious chocolate cake recipe when I noticed the fatal mistake: my cupboard was devoid of plain flour. All I had was a lonely bag of self-raising flour, staring at me like a smug little traitor.

If you’ve ever been there—panic-baking while your friends are on their way over—you know the existential dread. You start asking yourself the big questions: “Is this a culinary sin? Will my cake taste like a salt lick? Can I really use self-raising flour instead of plain flour?”

Spoiler alert: yes, you can. But (and there is always a “but” in baking, isn’t there?) it’s not a straight swap. You need to know exactly what you’re getting into, or you might end up with a biscuit that could double as a doorstop.

What’s the actual difference?

Let’s break it down without the chemistry degree. Plain flour is just flour—pure, neutral, and ready to be bossed around by your recipe. Self-raising flour, on the other hand, has baking powder and a little salt already mixed in. It’s like the over-caffeinated cousin of plain flour that can’t sit still.

That means self-raising flour will make your batter puff up on its own, even if the recipe doesn’t call for extra leavening. If you use it in a cookie recipe that requires zero rise, you might get fluffy muffins instead of chewy cookies. Disaster? Not quite. Different? Absolutely.

Your muffins, scones, and quick breads will actually love self-raising flour. But if you’re making something delicate—like a flour tortilla, a pie crust, or a classic shortbread—you’re heading for a texture tragedy.

So, how do you swap without ruining dinner?

Here’s the golden rule: if your recipe uses baking powder anyway, you can usually substitute self-raising flour one-for-one. Just remove the baking powder the recipe calls for. Easy, right? But wait—your recipe probably doesn’t use the exact same amount of baking powder as what’s in the self-raising flour.

Most self-raising flours contain about 1½ teaspoons of baking powder per cup (roughly 125 grams). So if your recipe calls for 1 cup of plain flour plus 1 teaspoon of baking powder, you’re fine. If it calls for 2 teaspoons of baking powder per cup? You’ll get a volcano. Your cake will rise, crack, and possibly escape the pan.

So here’s what I do (and you should too): subtract the baking powder from the recipe. If the recipe also calls for salt, reduce that too, because self-raising flour already has a pinch. Your cake won’t taste salty—but your pretzels might.

But what if the recipe has no baking powder at all?

Now we’re in dangerous territory. If you’re making, say, a pasta dough or a shortcrust pastry, self-raising flour is your enemy. You’ll end up with a puff pastry situation you never asked for. Unless you want your pie crust to double as a scone, don’t do it.

For baked goods like biscuits, naan bread, or dumplings, though? Go for it. Self-raising flour is practically made for those. You’ll get a lovely, soft rise without having to think twice.

I once used self-raising flour in a Yorkshire pudding recipe out of desperation. You know what happened? They puffed up like marshmallows, then collapsed into sad little omelets. Never again. Learn from my tears.

A quick cheat sheet for the fearless baker

If you want to turn your self-raising flour into plain flour (or vice versa) it’s dead simple. For each cup of self-raising flour, add 1½ teaspoons of cream of tartar and ½ teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda—wait, no, that’s backwards. To make plain flour from self-raising, you actually need to reduce the leavening. But honestly, who has cream of tartar at 11 p.m.?

Here’s the easier hack: just use self-raising flour and adjust your recipe’s chemical balance. Less baking powder, less salt. That’s the whole secret. If you’re still nervous, add a splash of lemon juice or buttermilk to help neutralize any extra sodium bicarbonate. Yes, I’m giving you a science experiment. You’re welcome.

And if all else fails? Embrace the fluff. Call your cookies “cakey cookies” and serve them with a wink. Your guests won’t know the difference, and you’ll look like a charming mess.

Final verdict? You can—but don’t be lazy about it.

Baking is part chemistry, part art, and part pure luck. Sometimes self-raising flour will save your evening, and sometimes it will sabotage your soufflé. The trick is knowing which battle to pick.

So grab that bag of self-raising flour, take a deep breath, and check your recipe twice. If you’re using it for a non-baked item, stop. If you’re using it for a cake, adjust the leavening. And if you’re making cookies? Maybe just run to the corner store for plain flour. Your dignity will thank you.

And hey, if it all goes wrong? That’s what frosting is for. ❤️