Henry Jones of Bristo is credited with being the inventor of self rising flour. Author Eugene Byrne said ” A baker and confectioner in Broadmead (Bristol), Jones patented his self-raising flour in 1845.” He also applied for and received an American patent in 1849.
Interestingly, it was this event that created a whole new industry for pre-packaged mixes for breads, cakes, pancakes, etc. It was around this time too that U.S. flour companies wanted to market their self-rising flours using, Jones’ patent. One of the methods used to market their products was recipe writing, this method is still used to this day to give customers tasty uses for their wares.
So what was Mr. Jones’ recipe for self-rising flour?
Amount: 1 cup
Substitute: 1 cup minus 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour plus 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt
It should be noted that self-rising flour contains baking powder which gives it a shorter shelf life than regular flour. (for information on baking powder click here.)
To test if it is still good put a pinch in warm water (at least 120 degrees Fahrenheit) . If it is still good it should fizz a little.
If you have two bags of flour and can’t remember which is which do this with both to find the answer.
Jaques Kitchen 