When a recipe calls for self-raising flour and all you have is all-purpose flour, your first instinct might be to panic or scrap the whole baking session. But instead of just listing the ingredients you need to mix (which you’ve probably read a hundred times), let’s take a different route. Let’s explore the why and how —so that making your own self-raising flour becomes second nature, not just a Google search. 🔬 The Hidden Chemistry of Self-Raising Flour Unlike ordinary flour, self-raising flour is essentially all-purpose flour that has been pre-mixed with a leavening agent and salt . But what makes it work isn't just the combination—it's the ratio and the reaction between the components. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and food scientists like Harold McGee (author of On Food and Cooking ), the key to self-raising flour lies in the proportion of bakin...