Self-Rising

The Magic Rise Behind Biscuit and Cornbread Culture

Mindy Merrell, R.B. Quinn, Linda Carman

• Publisher: The University Press of Kentucky
• Year: 2026
• eBook ISBN:
  9781985903357
• Topic: Art
• Subtopic: Agricultural Public Policy

Self-Rising: The Magic Rise Behind Biscuit and Cornbread Culture reveals how a combination of simple ingredients sparked a quiet culinary and cultural revolution. Self-rising flour and corn meal—premixed blends of flour or meal, baking powder, and salt—freed home cooks from the guesswork of from-scratch baking and transformed everyday cooking. Throughout the twentieth century, in times of poverty, segregation, and sweeping changes such as electrification, few innovations gave women more control over their time and table.

Part historical narrative and part cookbook, this flavorful account starts in Tennessee, the "self-rising capital of the world," and travels across the Southern US. The first half of the book explores how self-rising products not only helped reshape the domestic sphere but further influenced society, culture, and industry. Vitamin boosts and flour-sack fashion made self-rising products a Southern staple. Radio jingles, blues tunes, and Grand Ole Opry broadcasts spread the word. The second half of the book offers a rich collection of timeless, foolproof recipes built for modern kitchens, including chicken and dumplings, fried pickle chips, chewy brownies, apple crisp, and more. Entertaining and insightful, Self-Rising offers a story about the spirit of Southern cooks—a story of nourishment, invention, and resilience.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-Title Page
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Introduction
• Chapter 1. Modern Milling and Here Come the Bubbles: The Taste-Changing Invention of Chemical Leavening
• Chapter 2. Nashville Self-Rises to the Top
• Chapter 3. Public Safety and Public Health: Government Regulation and Industry Self-Policing
• Chapter 4. Spreading the Self-Rising Story Across the South: Home Economics, Company Test Kitchens, and Hometown Newspapers
• Chapter 5. Strumming, Picking, and Singing the Praises of Biscuits and Cornbread over the Air and on the Stage
• Chapter 6. Biscuits
• Chapter 7. Cornbread
• Chapter 8. Pancakes, Muffins, and Loaves
• Chapter 9. Cakes, Cookies, and Bars
• Chapter 10. Sweet Cobblers and Shortcakes
• Chapter 11. Suppers, Sides, and Snacks
• Epilogue
• Acknowledgments
• List of Self-Rising Brands
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index
• About the Authors