Rice flour can generally be found in three different varieties: white, brown, or sweet. While it is possible to make rice flour from any variety of rice, commercial producers of rice flour tend to restrict themselves to these three varities.
Some people find rice flour to add a somewhat gritty texture to their baked goods. This is particularly the case if the flour has been ground at home. However, rice flour is desireable for it’s relatively neutral flavour, and it is therefore an excellent substitute for wheat flour.
White rice flour and brown rice flour are basically interchangeable, since neither impart a strong taste in cooking or baking. Some people, however, can detect a subtle nuttiness in the flavour of brown rice flour. Nevertheless, the essentially neutral flavour means that either can be used freely in either baking or cooking.
While both white and brown rice are relatively light in texture, brown rice flour tends to be a bit heavier in texture than white rice flour. This is because the bran is kept on the rice before milling. The bran has the benefit of adding extra fibre to the brown rice flour.
Sweet rice flour, as it name clearly implies, is the sweetest version of the three rice flours. Sweet rice flour is best used as a thickener for sauces and gravies, as the rice has a gelatinous character to it. Alternatively, it can be used in baked goods to give a chewier texture to the final product.
Like all gluten/wheat-free flours, rice flour tends to absorb more liquid than flours containing gluten or wheat. Because of this, it is adviseable to add more liquid or fat to any recipe you use contaning rice flour. Additionally, rice flour tends to produce a crumbly final product, so it is equally adviseable to cut the rice flour with some kind of starch. Again, this is a rule of thumb that applies to most of the alternative flours.
Generally speaking, brown or white rice flour can take up any proportion of the recipe that you choose it to take. It works best when the ratio of rice flour to starch is 1:1. Many people prefer to cut rice flour with an alternative flour with a higher fat content, such as quinoa flour. Doing so will add some moisture to the final product. It will not, however, add any airiness.
Sweet rice flour works best when it comprises approximately 25% of the total flour in any recipe.
It can be difficult to replace rice flour in a recipe, as rice flour is the neutral tasting gluten-free flour. Whatever replacement flour is used, it should be cut with equal parts starch. If the recipe already calls for starch, then there is no need to use additional starch. Almond meal would be a relatively benign substitute. If you have access to it, millet flour would also make a suitable substitute. Nevertheless, provided there is another flour that you enjoy the taste of, any flour should work reasonably well in place of rice flour.
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