If the recipe calls for self-raising flour, but you only have regular flour at home, don't panic! Making self-raising flour is pretty simple and you can do it with the simple ingredients you have in the kitchen too. This article will explain how to proceed and how to make a gluten-free variant for allergy sufferers.
Ingrediants
Self-rising flour
- 150 g of flour 0
- 7, 5 g of yeast
- 1-2 g of salt
- 1 g of baking soda
Gluten Free Self Rising Flour
- 170 g of wholemeal rice flour
- 205 g of white rice flour
- 120 g of tapioca flour
- 165 g of glutinous rice
- Meager 10 g of xanthan gum
- 35 g of yeast
- 5, 5 g of salt
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Making the Self Rising Flour
Step 1. Take 150g of 0 flour and sift it into a large bowl
If your recipe calls for larger quantities of flour, simply increase the doses of the various ingredients respecting the proportions.
Step 2. Add 7.5g of fresh yeast
Make sure it is really fresh, otherwise the final preparation will not increase in volume during cooking.
Step 3. Add 1-2g of salt
Check the recipe that you will have to prepare: if you plan to add more salt, limit it to 1 g for the moment; if, on the other hand, you don't have to put more, you can incorporate 2 g.
Step 4. If the original recipe also includes buttermilk, cocoa or yogurt, you should add about 1g of baking soda
These ingredients in fact need a greater leavening power and the bicarbonate reinforces the effect of the baking powder.
If buttermilk, cocoa or yogurt are not on the ingredient list, you don't need to incorporate the baking soda
Step 5. Sift all the ingredients together to make sure they are combined evenly
Use a fork or whisk to mix them.
Step 6. Use the flour for the recipe
Remember that commercial self-raising flours are made with a slightly different wheat, so what you are about to cook will not be as soft.
Step 7. Store the leftover self-raising flour in an airtight container and label it with the expiration date
First, read the expiration date on the yeast package: it also represents the maximum limit within which to use the flour. All you have to do is copy this date on the container in which you put the self-raising flour.
Part 2 of 2: Make a Gluten Free Self Rising Flour
Step 1. Combine the various flours in a large bowl
Use a fork or whisk to mix them until they are evenly combined.
Step 2. Add the xanthan gum
Just under 10 g will suffice. Again, remember to mix the ingredients well.
Step 3. Prepare the leavening agent
In a separate container, mix the yeast with the salt. You will need about 35g of yeast and 5.5g of salt. If you don't plan to use all of the gluten-free flour mixture, then add 7.5g of yeast and 1g of salt for every 130g of flour.
Step 4. Sift the leavening mixture into the flours
Mix carefully using a fork or whisk until the ingredients are well blended.
Step 5. Use the flour for your recipe and store the leftovers in an airtight container
Read the expiration date found on the yeast package. This is also the deadline by which you will need to use the flour. At this point you just have to put the mixture in a dark and cool place.
Advice
- The "self-rising" flour and the "with added yeast" flour are the same thing.
- If you have self-raising flour, but the recipe tells you to use 0, reduce the amount of baking soda and salt during preparation.
- When preparing large quantities of self-raising flour, always measure the doses by weighing them and do not rely on volumetric methods. This way you will get more consistent results.
- You can try using whole wheat flour; remember that the proportions do not change.
Warnings
- Keep in mind that homemade self-raising flour doesn't last forever; in fact, it contains sodium bicarbonate which loses part of its leavening properties over time. The longer the storage times, the less the cakes will rise.
- The commercial one is produced with a softer wheat than the one used with the 0 variety; in this way the baked products are softer. If you add baking soda to plain flour you will get similar results, but the final preparation, once baked, will not be as soft.
