diff --git a/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/job/builder/JobFlowBuilder.java b/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/job/builder/JobFlowBuilder.java
index 091ebece1..89538c667 100644
--- a/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/job/builder/JobFlowBuilder.java
+++ b/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/job/builder/JobFlowBuilder.java
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ package org.springframework.batch.core.job.builder;
 import org.springframework.batch.core.Step;
 import org.springframework.batch.core.job.flow.Flow;
 import org.springframework.batch.core.job.flow.JobExecutionDecider;
+import org.springframework.beans.factory.InitializingBean;
 
 /**
  * @author Dave Syer
@@ -59,6 +60,16 @@ public class JobFlowBuilder extends FlowBuilder<FlowJobBuilder> {
 	@Override
 	public FlowJobBuilder build() {
 		Flow flow = flow();
+
+		if(flow instanceof InitializingBean) {
+			try {
+				((InitializingBean) flow).afterPropertiesSet();
+			}
+			catch (Exception e) {
+				throw new FlowBuilderException(e);
+			}
+		}
+
 		parent.flow(flow);
 		return parent;
 	}
diff --git a/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/job/flow/support/SimpleFlow.java b/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/job/flow/support/SimpleFlow.java
index 71e728acd..b8396b24d 100644
--- a/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/job/flow/support/SimpleFlow.java
+++ b/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/job/flow/support/SimpleFlow.java
@@ -15,18 +15,6 @@
  */
 package org.springframework.batch.core.job.flow.support;
 
-import org.apache.commons.logging.Log;
-import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
-import org.springframework.batch.core.Step;
-import org.springframework.batch.core.StepExecution;
-import org.springframework.batch.core.job.flow.Flow;
-import org.springframework.batch.core.job.flow.FlowExecution;
-import org.springframework.batch.core.job.flow.FlowExecutionException;
-import org.springframework.batch.core.job.flow.FlowExecutionStatus;
-import org.springframework.batch.core.job.flow.FlowExecutor;
-import org.springframework.batch.core.job.flow.State;
-import org.springframework.beans.factory.InitializingBean;
-
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Collection;
 import java.util.Comparator;
@@ -38,6 +26,19 @@ import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.Set;
 import java.util.TreeSet;
 
+import org.apache.commons.logging.Log;
+import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
+
+import org.springframework.batch.core.Step;
+import org.springframework.batch.core.StepExecution;
+import org.springframework.batch.core.job.flow.Flow;
+import org.springframework.batch.core.job.flow.FlowExecution;
+import org.springframework.batch.core.job.flow.FlowExecutionException;
+import org.springframework.batch.core.job.flow.FlowExecutionStatus;
+import org.springframework.batch.core.job.flow.FlowExecutor;
+import org.springframework.batch.core.job.flow.State;
+import org.springframework.beans.factory.InitializingBean;
+
 /**
  * A {@link Flow} that branches conditionally depending on the exit status of
  * the last {@link State}. The input parameters are the state transitions (in no
@@ -125,7 +126,9 @@ public class SimpleFlow implements Flow, InitializingBean {
 	 */
 	@Override
 	public void afterPropertiesSet() throws Exception {
-		initializeTransitions();
+		if (startState == null) {
+			initializeTransitions();
+		}
 	}
 
 	/**
diff --git a/spring-batch-test/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/test/JobLauncherTestUtilsTests.java b/spring-batch-test/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/test/JobLauncherTestUtilsTests.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c33712933
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spring-batch-test/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/test/JobLauncherTestUtilsTests.java
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2014 the original author or authors.
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package org.springframework.batch.test;
+
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
+
+import org.junit.Test;
+
+import org.springframework.batch.core.ExitStatus;
+import org.springframework.batch.core.Job;
+import org.springframework.batch.core.JobExecution;
+import org.springframework.batch.core.Step;
+import org.springframework.batch.core.StepContribution;
+import org.springframework.batch.core.configuration.annotation.EnableBatchProcessing;
+import org.springframework.batch.core.configuration.annotation.JobBuilderFactory;
+import org.springframework.batch.core.configuration.annotation.StepBuilderFactory;
+import org.springframework.batch.core.scope.context.ChunkContext;
+import org.springframework.batch.core.step.tasklet.Tasklet;
+import org.springframework.batch.repeat.RepeatStatus;
+import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowired;
+import org.springframework.context.ApplicationContext;
+import org.springframework.context.annotation.AnnotationConfigApplicationContext;
+import org.springframework.context.annotation.Bean;
+import org.springframework.context.annotation.Configuration;
+
+/**
+ * @author mminella
+ */
+public class JobLauncherTestUtilsTests {
+
+	@Test
+	public void testStepExecutionWithJavaConfig() {
+		ApplicationContext context = new AnnotationConfigApplicationContext(TestJobConfiguration.class);
+
+		JobLauncherTestUtils testUtils = context.getBean(JobLauncherTestUtils.class);
+
+		JobExecution execution = testUtils.launchStep("step1");
+
+		assertEquals(ExitStatus.COMPLETED, execution.getExitStatus());
+	}
+
+	@Configuration
+	@EnableBatchProcessing
+	public static class TestJobConfiguration {
+
+		@Autowired
+		public JobBuilderFactory jobBuilderFactory;
+
+		@Autowired
+		public StepBuilderFactory stepBuilderFactory;
+
+		@Bean
+		public Step step() {
+			return stepBuilderFactory.get("step1").tasklet(new Tasklet() {
+				@Override
+				public RepeatStatus execute(StepContribution contribution, ChunkContext chunkContext) throws Exception {
+					return null;
+				}
+			}).build();
+		}
+
+		@Bean
+		public Job job() {
+			return jobBuilderFactory.get("job").flow(step()).end().build();
+		}
+
+		@Bean
+		public JobLauncherTestUtils testUtils() {
+			JobLauncherTestUtils jobLauncherTestUtils = new JobLauncherTestUtils();
+			jobLauncherTestUtils.setJob(job());
+
+			return jobLauncherTestUtils;
+		}
+	}
+
+}
diff --git a/spring-batch-test/src/test/resources/data-source-context.xml b/spring-batch-test/src/test/resources/data-source-context.xml
index bbbb4e6db..747195996 100755
--- a/spring-batch-test/src/test/resources/data-source-context.xml
+++ b/spring-batch-test/src/test/resources/data-source-context.xml
@@ -1,8 +1,7 @@
 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
 <beans xmlns="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans"
-	xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:util="http://www.springframework.org/schema/util"
-	xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans/spring-beans-3.1.xsd
-	http://www.springframework.org/schema/util http://www.springframework.org/schema/util/spring-util-3.1.xsd">
+	   xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
+	   xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans/spring-beans-3.1.xsd">
 
 	<!--  Initialise the database before every test case: -->
 	<bean id="dataSourceInitializer" class="org.springframework.batch.test.DataSourceInitializer">
diff --git a/spring-batch-test/src/test/resources/org/springframework/batch/sample/config/common-context.xml b/spring-batch-test/src/test/resources/org/springframework/batch/sample/config/common-context.xml
index d725c26e6..8778221ae 100755
--- a/spring-batch-test/src/test/resources/org/springframework/batch/sample/config/common-context.xml
+++ b/spring-batch-test/src/test/resources/org/springframework/batch/sample/config/common-context.xml
@@ -1,11 +1,7 @@
 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
-<beans xmlns="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans" xmlns:aop="http://www.springframework.org/schema/aop"
-	xmlns:tx="http://www.springframework.org/schema/tx" xmlns:p="http://www.springframework.org/schema/p"
-	xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
-	xsi:schemaLocation="
-		http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans/spring-beans-3.1.xsd
-		http://www.springframework.org/schema/aop http://www.springframework.org/schema/aop/spring-aop-3.1.xsd
-		http://www.springframework.org/schema/tx http://www.springframework.org/schema/tx/spring-tx-3.1.xsd">
+<beans xmlns="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans"
+	   xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
+	   xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans/spring-beans-3.1.xsd">
 
 	<bean id="simpleJob" class="org.springframework.batch.core.job.SimpleJob" abstract="true">
 		<property name="jobRepository" ref="jobRepository" />
diff --git a/spring-batch-test/src/test/resources/simple-job-launcher-context.xml b/spring-batch-test/src/test/resources/simple-job-launcher-context.xml
index 31b5ac34b..ed93c03a5 100755
--- a/spring-batch-test/src/test/resources/simple-job-launcher-context.xml
+++ b/spring-batch-test/src/test/resources/simple-job-launcher-context.xml
@@ -1,11 +1,7 @@
 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
 <beans xmlns="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans"
-	xmlns:aop="http://www.springframework.org/schema/aop" xmlns:tx="http://www.springframework.org/schema/tx"
-	xmlns:p="http://www.springframework.org/schema/p" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
-	xsi:schemaLocation="
-		http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans/spring-beans-3.1.xsd
-		http://www.springframework.org/schema/aop http://www.springframework.org/schema/aop/spring-aop-3.1.xsd
-		http://www.springframework.org/schema/tx http://www.springframework.org/schema/tx/spring-tx-3.1.xsd">
+	   xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
+	   xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans/spring-beans-3.1.xsd">
 
 	<import resource="classpath:/data-source-context.xml" />