Rice Flour Recipe: How to Make Homemade Rice Flour

Rice flour is milled flour that is made by grinding the inner kernels of long-grain brown or white rice. This gluten-free flour lends a chewy, stretchy texture to various dishes and is a staple ingredient in Asian cuisine. Rice flour is commonly used in gluten-free baking. You can partially swap it for wheat flour in combination with another gluten-free flour, such as tapioca, sorghum, or almond flour, depending on the recipe.

Rice flours are an excellent pantry staple that you can use in a few different ways:

1. 1. As a batter base: Gluten content determines a batter’s texture. While all-purpose flour is a go-to option for dishes such as fried fish (its average protein content leads to a thick, semi-dense crust), white rice flour absorbs less fat when fried in oil, leaving the surface dry and crispy, rather than greasy. This texture is ideal for tempura.
2. 2. For dredging: When panfrying fish or tofu, first coat filets or slices in rice flour before dredging in egg and panko. Rice flour offers substantial breading with an airy quality.
3. 3. As a thickening agent: White rice flour, brown rice flour, and sweet rice flour all naturally inhibit liquid separation. You can use them as thickening agents, similar to cornstarch, potato starch, xanthan gum, or sorghum flour. To thicken a sauce or stew, start by stirring in about two to three tablespoons of rice flour.
4. 4. To prevent dough from sticking: Rice flour does not contain gluten, so it can help prevent dough from sticking as you roll it out without affecting the bake (like all-purpose flour).
5. 5. For sweets: Rice flour gives baked goods a chewy, sticky texture. Mochiko and shiratamako, glutinous rice flour made from short-grain mochigome, are key ingredients in mochi (sweet rice cakes) and kashi dango (sweet dumplings).

To make a DIY batch, you’ll need a clean coffee grinder and the rice of your choice. Grind ¼ cup raw white rice at a time. Sift to remove debris leftover from the hulls and achieve a finer texture.

Homemade rice flour may not yield the same results as commercial rice flour production, where the rice is put through a rigorous washing process to remove the outer hulls and expose the inner kernel before milling.

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