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 cornmeal—pre-mixed 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, electrification, and sweeping change, few inventions gave women more control over their time and table.

Part historical narrative, part cookbook, this flavorful account starts in Tennessee, the ""self-rising capital of the world,"" and travels across the southern US. The first half explores how self-rising products not only helped reshape the domestic sphere but further influenced society, culture, and industry. Grain mills, vitamin boosts, and flour-sack fashion made self-rising 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, fool-proof recipes built for modern kitchens, like chicken and dumplings, fried pickle chips, chewy brownies, and apple crisp.

Entertaining and insightful, Self-Rising offers readers a story of nourishment, invention, and resilience told through cornbread skillets, biscuit cutters, and the spirit of Southern cooks.