How to Make Rice Flour? Good Tips in 2023
Rice flour is a type of ground rice that has been processed to remove the husk, germ and bran. It is often used in gluten free cooking or other dishes that require a lighter texture than wheat flour can provide. Rice flour has an airy consistency and a light flavor which makes it more versatile than many other flours.
To make your own rice flour, you’ll need to grind raw rice using a food processor or blender until it reaches the desired consistency. Afterwards, sift out any large pieces through cheesecloth for best results. This article will include tips on how to use this ingredient in baking as well as recipes for some delicious dishes!
How to Make Rice Flour from rice?
One of the easiest ways to make flour from rice is by using a blender, coffee grinder or food processor. Follow these steps:
1. Place 1-2 cups uncooked rice in your device and cover it with lid.
2. Turn on at highest setting for best results.
3. Grind until powdery consistency without chunks visible (should take about 10 seconds).
4. Store away from moisture to maintain freshness!
What is rice Flour?
Rice flour is obtained from long grain, short grain and wild rice. The various rice flours vary not only in color but also in their consistency and state of absorption. Thus when millet or sorghum flour is added to rice flour it produces a smoother dough than straight rice flour will do.
The most common types of white rice used for making flour are Basmati, Long Grain Calrose and medium or short grain Carolina. Brown Basmati is the best for breads with high protein content. Long Grain Calrose is suitable for cookies, cakes, pie crusts as well as pastries. Short Grain Rice can be combined with other grains such as millet to make “millet-rice” bread , “sadza” and other porridges.
When making rice flour, whole rice is cleaned, washed and then boiled for about 30 minutes. During this process the bran will float to the surface of the water and must be scooped off because it would make the flour grainy in texture. The hull has to be removed by rubbing with sandpaper or coarse cloth or pounding before boiling. After washing remove any debris and place in a pot of boiling water with a pinch of salt added.
Let it simmer until all moisture is removed from the rice (if you take a handful out you can squeeze hard but no liquid should appear). This may take up to an hour depending on how much rice you are processing at one time. You will know when it is done because the rice will be separate and firm. (Note: never let the grains get to the sticky stage over boiling water or they may stick together and you won’t be able to separate them).
The dried product is then ready for grinding into a fine powder with any type of mill but preferably one that has a light texture and not choppy or course in nature. Rice flour should not be confused with cornstarch which is made from hard starch obtained from corn kernels.
Cornstarch retains its shape while baked goods are being cooked, whereas rice flour becomes almost transparent when heated. So if you have a recipe calling for rice flour make sure it does not also call for cornstarch since both are very different products .
Rice flour is a very versatile ingredient to use in cooking. It can be used in soups, stews, casseroles, breads and various recipes that call for a thickening agent or a filler. Rice flour blends well with other flours such as all-purpose flour, semolina (for pasta), corn meal , buckwheat and tapioca starch. As mentioned earlier it also mixes well with other grains such as millet when making porridge type dishes such as sadza.
The longer the grains are cooked before grinding the finer the texture will be when using rice flour. If you have some extra long grain rice on hand you can cook it in about 3 cups of water until it becomes soft then add to your ground rice flour. This will make a very smooth paste and when baked the rice bread will be tender and have a wonderful flavor.
Because rice flour contains gluten it is recommended that you add it to other flours in small quantities because if you add too much it can become dense with an unpleasant texture. If this occurred just compensate by adding more liquid and stirring vigorously until well blended. Rice flour is useful for making pastry fillings such as fruit pies, quiche, cheese cakes or tarts.
It also makes great pizza dough because of its ability to hold up under high heat .
Rice Flour Recipes
1. Rice Crackers 1 cup brown rice flour, 2/3 cup rye meal, 1/2 tsp salt , 1/2 cup warm water, 2 Tbsp olive oil and 2 tsp dark molasses (optional).
Flourless Chocolate Cake 3 cups white rice flour, 1 cup cocoa powder , 1 cup muscovado sugar , 4 large eggs, grated rind of 1 lemon and freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon.
Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl. Add the eggs to a saucepan over low heat and beat until thickened. Pour into the dry ingredients gradually while stirring quickly with a wooden spoon or spatula. Once combined mix in the lemon juice and rind using a rubber scraper to reach all corners. Spread into two greased loaf pans lined with parchment paper.
Bake at 400 F for 35 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean . Remove from pans and cool on racks before slicing.
2. Rice Bread 1 cup cooked rice, 3 cups self-rising flour , 2 tsp vanilla essence , 4 Tbsp butter melted, or coconut oil, 2 eggs beaten with 1/4 cup milk.
Sift the flour into a large bowl then mix in the rice. Add remaining ingredients and blend well to form a dough that does not stick to your fingers. Pour into greased and lined loaf pan and bake at 350 F for 45 minutes or until golden brown . Remove from oven when done and let cool on wire rack before cutting . Makes one 8″ x 4″ thick slice of bread.
All recipes courtesy of The Baking Circle
There are many different ways to make rice cake also known as muri in Zimbabwe. The ingredients used by the farmers in my area are harvested from their fields during harvesting time and they cook them together with a little sugar, cinnamon and butter. If you have left over cooked rice that has been refrigerated for two or three days it should be soft enough to use without cooking again.
To make your own go ahead and try one of these delicious recipes based on the way my mother taught me how to do it.
A Simple Rice Cake Recipe 4 cups cooked short-grain white rice plus 1 cup uncooked white rice (cooked separately), 3/4cup brown sugar , 2 eggs, 4 tbsp melted butter (or margarine) and 1 tsp vanilla extract .
Batter Method:
Place cooked rice in a large bowl and set aside. Mix the sugar, butter and vanilla extract into the uncooked rice until well blended then add to the cooked rice. Separate eggs and beat egg yolks with 3 tbsp of milk then fold gently into mixing bowl. Finally mix in beaten egg whites using a rubber scraper as you reach all corners of the bowl.
Pour batter into greased 8″ or 9″ square baking pan(s) or two 4″ x 8″ loaf pans (lined with parchment paper) that have been pre-heated for about 10 minutes at 350 F/180 C and bake on middle rack for 45 minutes if using one square cake pan or 35 minutes for two loaf pans.
After removing cakes from oven leave in pan(s) or transfer to cooling racks until completely cooled. Cut into squares and serve warm with a generous dusting of cinnamon if you like.
Cake Method:
Mix rice, sugar and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Separate the eggs then beat egg yolks with 3 Tbsp of milk until light yellow before adding to the bowl . Beat egg whites until stiff with 1 tsp of sugar and fold into mixture using a rubber scraper. Pour into greased 4″ x 8″ loaf pans (lined with parchment paper) and bake on middle rack for 25 minutes or until done.
Remove from oven after baking and leave in pan(s) to cool completely before transferring to cooling racks. Cut slices just like any other cake.
Rice Cake Recipe 2 cups cooked short-grain white rice , 3/4 cup brown sugar , 2 tbsp melted butter (or margarine), 1 tsp salt, 3 cups self-rising flour, 2 eggs , 1 cup milk .
Mix the cooked rice with the sugar in a large bowl. In another bowl beat the eggs then add to the rice and sugar mixture. Add melted butter (or margarine) and salt to egg mixture then slowly stir into dry ingredients using a rubber scraper or wooden spoon before mixing well. Pour in milk while stirring quickly with your hand until combined thoroughly.
Pour batter into greased 9″ square cake pan(s) that have been pre-heated for about 10 minutes at 350 F/180 C and bake on middle rack for 45 minutes or until done. After removing from oven leave in pan to cool completely before cutting into squares . This rice cake is delicious served warm with lots of butter.
Cooking Tips on How to Make Rice Flour:
To make perfect rice you need to rinse well until the water runs fairly clear before cooking it in a large pot with 1 cup of uncooked white rice for every 3 cups of water. Add salt, turmeric and sugar (½ tsp each) then add oil or margarine to prevent sticking then bring it to a rolling boil . For brown rice cook as usual but use 3 cups of water for every 2 cups of rice plus ½ tsp of salt and no sugar.
Lightly steam your favorite vegetables separately using just enough water to stop them from burning and put aside when done. You can use these later to add flavor and color to the cake mixture or top the finished slices together with a generous dollop of jam , some fresh or canned fruit or some well-chosen dried fruits.
Above is the answer for How to Make Rice Flour? Now, let’s move to some tips and guides on making rice flour.
Tips and guides on How to Make Rice Flour
Make Good Rice Flour
Properly dried rice from the market or farm and milled using a good ‘stone grinder’ will result in an excellent product that can be used in small amounts to improve the texture of many common dishes. By adding 3 tablespoons of freshly ground rice flour to your favorite cake recipe for example, you can significantly improve its textural qualities.
Rice is grown all over the world and processed around the globe but it’s in Japan where rice flour-based cakes are very popular.
Cooking Tips: The first step in making good soft rice flour is to wash and rinse your grains until water runs fairly clear before cooking them according to package instructions. This removes excess starch from each grain thereby resulting in very fine white flour with a high starch content.
The next step is to remove the bran layer after cooking using a fine ‘stone grinder’ that will grind each grain into a fine powdery flour on your kitchen counter. When you do this, you should not put too many grains into the grinding tray because it will slow down your stone grinder and cause it to heat up quickly.
Rice Flour: You can also use an electric blender or coffee grinder instead of a stone grinder but expect lesser results . As we all know from practice, rice flour-based cakes are known for their soft crumbly texture so if you use too much in your recipe, they will easily crumble when sliced despite having been baked properly on a hot tray at a high temperature.
This is because the rice flour used to make these cakes is usually harvested then dried, milled and ground into very fine white powder with a high starch content. I strongly recommend that you do not attempt to dry, mill or grind your own rice until you have practiced using the process on lesser quantities of rice.
Rice Flour Storage: Please store your freshly made rice flour in attractive containers covered with plastic lids (See pic below) when it’s completely cool so that it gets kept fresh for up to one month or more. It can be frozen for later use if required but please remember to defrost thoroughly before adding even small amounts to other recipes.
How to store rice flour in the freezer?
Rice flour can be stored in the fridge or freezer but for best results, you should keep it in your freezer. This will extend its shelf life although I don’t think that it needs a shelf life extension all that much.
In fact, rice flour is probably one of those ingredients that people are least likely to have a problem with because they usually have other gluten-filled alternatives available which they can use instead if the need arises. So some people may not even need to store rice flour at all!
How to extend rice flour shelf life?
In fact, many people do keep it in their fridge simply because it is possible to buy rice flour in bulk and flour has a very long shelf life. It may not be as long as wheat based flours but you’ll definitely get a few years out of rice flour before it goes rancid. How long does rice flour last?
If properly stored, it’s best to use it within one year although if frozen, it can be used for longer than that – maybe two or three years.
If you store your rice flour in the freezer, make sure you get containers with tight lids otherwise moisture will seep into the container over time making both the rice flour and your food choices less fresh! Airtight glass jars are good options for this purpose even though they are bulkier than some other storage containers (which is why many people prefer to keep rice flour in the fridge).
If you’ve never used airtight containers for your food storage, then I highly recommend them. You’ll be amazed at how much they help to keep food fresher longer!
FAQs
1. How can I bake a soft moist cake using my freshly milled rice flour?
Answer: Mix together the following ingredients : – 1½ cups of freshly ground white rice flour , ½ cup of sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 eggs lightly beaten and stir well. Bake in an oven preheated to 350 F/180 C for 25-30 minutes or until done.
Tip: If you would like your cake to have a ‘soft’ texture then substitute 3 tablespoons of the above ingredient mix with 2-3 drops of liquid stevia instead of adding sugar.
2. Can I add some crushed walnuts or hazelnuts into this recipe before baking it?
Answer: Yes, you sure can! Just replace some of the sugar used in this recipe with finely chopped nuts for a delicious crunchy texture.
3. How can I make this cake taste like an authentic ‘Japanese-style’ sticky rice flour cake? Replace the vanilla extract used in making this recipe with 1 tablespoon of natural or pure artificial Japanese Red Bean Paste (An), then sprinkle some finely chopped walnuts over the top of each warm cake slice just before serving.
Answer: Yes, you sure can! Just replace some of the sugar used in this recipe with finely chopped nuts for a delicious crunchy texture.
4. Do I need to freeze freshly milled rice powder before adding it into my favorite recipes?
Answer: No, it’s optional but once pre-milled and dried white rice has been frozen, thawed and re-grounded using your stone or electric grinder, its texture will be less than before so it’s best to use it in your recipes.
Tips: If you wish to make good soft rice flour even softer for successful cake-making , then try adding some powdered dry milk into the mix and bake as per instructions but don’t forget that mixing too much rice flour with other ingredients used in cooking may cause them to become rubbery so please follow my recommended recipe amounts or quantities.
Remember that freshly ground white rice flour is delicious when sprinkled over a bowl of steaming hot ‘salt fish’ (dried codfish) soup to soften and flavor the soup further . You can re-grind any raw wild bitter gourd seeds using your stone grinder, electric blender (after drying them out first) or coffee grinder and then add 3-4 tablespoons of the resulting flour extract into any recipe that needs a breadcrumb texture .
This is optional but it will help improve the texture of your cakes, cookies and other dishes.
Conclusion
Rice flour is a staple in many Asian kitchens and it’s not always easy to find. This article provides you How to Make Rice Flour with two simple, healthy recipes for making your own rice flour at home. It also includes some tips on how to use the gluten-free version of this ingredient in cooking or baking projects.
The processes of making rice flour are simple and easy. These quick, straightforward guides will show you how to make your own delicious rice flour today! How do you usually cook up a pot or two of white rice? If so, then congratulations–you’ve already made some great-tasting, high-quality rice flour that can be used for cooking and baking recipes.
Rice flours like those found in certain types of Asian cuisine have their own unique flavors as well as textures from the way they’re prepared. There’s no need to buy pricey pre-packaged varieties when it’s just as easy (and cheaper!) to make them at home with ingredients you already have on hand.
If you want more information about using rice as an alternative grain, check out these guides that include cooking instructions and ideas for incorporating rice into new dishes or leave comment below, then we will reply soon.
