2-Ingredient Rice Flour Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is rice flour just ground up rice? ›

Rice flour is simply ground rice. Nothing else. Differences between rice flours depend on what kind of rice is featured: Regular rice flour can be ground from long-, medium-, or short-grain rice (what's enjoyed daily in grain bowls and on rice plates).

Rice flour bread doesn't use yeast to rise, and it's completely gluten-free. Instead of yeast, it relies on baking powder to give it lift. And instead of gluten to hold it together, it uses eggs.

But rice flour means coarse or fine flour. Can I make rice flour without soaking rice? Yes, just rinse the rice, drain, pat dry completely with a cloth. Spread and dry completely until the grains become crunchy.

Some of the popular ways rice flour is used are to make noodles, pastries, cakes, and as a thickening agent for soups and stews. Brown rice flour and white rice flour can be used interchangeably, but white rice flour is more common.

Glutinous rice flour, aka sweet rice flour, doesn't contain any gluten (confusing, we know.) It can create a gummy texture, so it's typically used to create chewy items like mochi or as a binder for pastry items. Rice flour makes an excellent substitute for all-purpose flour, depending on what you're making.

On the plus side, rice flour is gluten-free, high in fiber and can help protect your liver. On the downside, it's lower in nutrients and phytonutrients than other flowers and also relatively high in carbs and calories.

In essence, cream of rice and cream of wheat are just that - 100% ground rice flour and wheat flour respectively. Neither of these are nutritionally “better” than the other, however as illustrated above, they have slightly different nutritional compositions and hence slightly different textures/flavours.

Cornstarch

Cornstarch is a fine, white powder derived from the endosperm of corn kernels. It's known for its neutral flavor and high thickening power, which makes it an excellent substitute for rice flour in sauces, gravies, and custards.

Rice powder is more coarse than rice flour. Powder won't dissolve well in water like flour. You can make your own rice powder by grinding toasted long grain rice in a blender or a coffer grinder.