"A person cooking is a person giving: Even the simplest food is a gift."

Laurie Colwin

Friday, December 30, 2011

Self-raising flour: what it is, how to make it, and other questions on which the world hangs. Or not.



A bag of self-raising flour is a common sight in pantries across the UK and Australia, but the mention of it tends to send cooks elsewhere into a bit of tizz.  What is this strange and mysterious substance?  

What it is is no mystery.  Neither is how to make it.

SR flour is flour with a leavening agent added, so that whatever baked goodie you’re making won’t require baking powder or baking soda/bicarb-plus-an-acid-component to make it rise.  It’s very handy to have lying around, but if you can’t buy it, or if you run out, you can make yours in a trice.

The proportions are:

2 tsp. baking powder for every cup of flour

Sift together a few times, or if you’re a hard case like I am, just whisk it all vigorously for a minute or so.

Make it in bulk to have it ready to go when needed, or make as much as you need for what you’re making at the time.

OK, so I realise this is a piker’s post.  After all, it’s the last day of the year and I am in proper vacation mode right now.  More or less, I am:

a) not cooking, just subsisting on AWESOME leftovers
b) sitting in front of the telly watching all the DVDs I got for Christmas
c) crocheting
d) reading thick summery novels, and/or
e) any combination of the above.

So it’s like… yawn... Yumbo McGillicutty?  Whassat?

In my defense, however, this is a well handy hint, and I’ll be posting some recipes requiring SR flour soon.  So there.

Happy New Year everyone!  May 2012 be full of all good things for you and yours.

4 comments:

  1. I don't blame you for taking a break. It's well deserved. Crocheting???? What are you making? I love to crochet. :) Happy new year!

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  2. I've read about and just started seeing self-rising flour in my markets. It's never been a burden to add baking powder or baking soda - but I can see that there are days when eliminating a step is always prudent. Enjoy the DVD's and crocheting and the wonder of just "being." Happy New Year. May 2012 bring you all good things.

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  3. Well, I set out to crochet a little strawberry beanie for a new baby, and then just kept right on going and made a watermelon and a frilly flowery one. Small projects! There's an afghan I'm meant to be working on, but it's really hot here, and just the thought of having an afghan on my lap makes me want to take a cold shower.

    I totally agree on the SR flour thing, Claudia. I always did just this, and it wasn't until I got married last year and my husband brought a bag of SR flour with him when he moved in that it became a fixture in the pantry. Definitely not necessary, but sometimes pretty handy.

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So! Whaddya reckon?