Self-raising flour is just plain flour with baking powder and salt already mixed in, so you can make it at home in just a few seconds. This calculator gives the exact amounts: five grams of baking powder and one gram of salt for every hundred grams of plain flour.
Enter your flour amount and pick the direction. To make self-raising flour, add the baking powder and salt shown and whisk well so the raising agent spreads evenly. To go the other way, the tool splits a self-raising amount back into its plain flour, baking powder, and salt parts.
Example: two hundred grams of plain flour plus ten grams of baking powder and two grams of salt makes two hundred twelve grams of self-raising flour. That is about two level teaspoons of baking powder and a third of a teaspoon of salt.
Tip: whisk the mix for a full thirty seconds. Baking powder clumps easily, and an even mix is what gives a level rise instead of a lopsided cake.
Tip: make self-raising flour fresh for each bake. Baking powder loses strength over months in an open bag, and a fresh mix rises far more reliably.
Tip: do not add extra baking powder on top of a recipe that already calls for it. Doubling the raising agent tastes bitter and can make a cake rise fast and then collapse.
Common question: Can I use self-raising flour for bread? No, bread needs yeast, not baking powder. Self-raising flour suits cakes, scones, and pancakes, where a quick chemical rise is the goal.
Common question: Is self-raising flour the same in every country? The idea is the same, but the baking powder strength varies a little. If a cake rises weakly, a small pinch more baking powder next time usually fixes it.
Common question: Why did my cake taste metallic? Too much baking powder is the usual cause. Measure it level, never heaped, and keep the recipe ratio rather than adding extra for safety.
Measuring by weight is the single best habit for swaps like these. Cups pack differently every time, while grams stay exact, and exact amounts are what make a substitute behave like the original ingredient.
Test every swap in a small batch first. A half recipe shows you the texture and flavour change without risking a full cake or a full pot of jam, and a small test teaches you faster than any article can.
Write the swap that worked on the recipe card. Your oven, your flour brand, and your pans all shift results a little, and your own notes turn a general calculator into a personal guide that fits your kitchen.
This tool runs fully in your browser, so nothing you type is sent to a server. There is no account and no sign-up, and your recipe amounts never leave your own device.
Adjust to your own taste once you know the base ratio. A little more liquid for a softer crumb, or a little less for a firmer set, is a fair change once the standard swap works well.
Store dry substitutes mixed and labelled. A jar of self-raising flour or cake flour mix, dated and sealed, saves measuring time on busy baking days and keeps the ratio right.
Bookmark this tool and use it whenever a recipe calls for something your pantry lacks. A good substitute keeps dinner on track, and the calculator keeps the swap honest.
This tool is free to use as often as you like. Run it for each recipe you adapt, and let it carry the conversion maths while you focus on the cooking itself.