Hello, welcome to my blog! I’m so happy to have you here to tell you a little about rice flour recipes and where you can use the rice flour. Rice flour has gained a lot of attention around the world as a healthy ingredient, and often can be substituted with wheat flour or starch.
In today’s blog post, we will go through everything about this amazing food ingredient – rice flour – its characteristics, health benefits, how to use it, and 5 Korean recipes you can try! Then with no further ado, let’s dive right in.
About Rice Flour
Rice flour is a type of flour made from ground rice, and it is naturally gluten-free. Just like wheat flour, there are many ways to use rice flour in recipes, such as noodles, bread, cakes, cookies, pancakes, and more.
However, that doesn’t mean that rice flour has the same characteristics as wheat flour and you can simply swap wheat flour in any recipe with rice flour. I found this incredibly interesting paper about patents on [Manufacturing Method for Jeon or Pancake Using Rice Flour] and I will share some of the knowledge and insights in this paper. So in today’s post, I will talk about everything rice flour – its health benefits, its characteristics, how to use it in cooking, and my favorite part – some of my Korean rice flour recipes.
Benefits of Rice Flour Recipes
Rice flour is essentially powered rice, and therefore has the health benefits of rice. It is made from ground rice, and it comes in different varieties, such as white rice flour, brown rice flour, and glutinous rice flour. They can be quite different from each other and should be used differently in a recipe. But here are some of the benefits of using any rice flour in your recipes.
1. Naturally Gluten-Free
You might be looking for a substitute for wheat flour because you want to avoid gluten in your food. Well then, you’ve come to the right place! Rice flour is naturally gluten-free, making it a great alternative for people with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity. Although rice flour and wheat flour are different, that doesn’t mean one or the other is better. Once you know the differences in the way each of the flour acts, you can create delicious food with rice flour recipes!
2. Rich in Nutrition
Rice flour also has some health benefits, such as being low in fat, high in fiber, and rich in antioxidants. Rice has been a staple crop in Asia and many other parts of the world for a reason. They are rich in niacin, or vitamin B3, and have numerous enzymes which are essential for digestion, liver function, and more. And the starch in rice helps brain activity and prevents obesity and diabetes.
3. Easy Digestion
For the reasons in #1 and #2, rice flour can be a great choice for people who have difficulty with digestion. Also, rice flour is easily digested by many people so it is often recommended for those with digestive issues or sensitivities.
4. New Adventures in Cooking
If you have been thinking you can only make pancakes, noodles, cookies, and bread with just flour, here come new adventures for you! You can not only eat all these wonderful foods but also there are many interesting recipes to explore because rice flour has unique qualities. So before diving into the Korean rice flour recipes I’m going to share with you, let’s look at some general characteristics of rice flour so we can nail the recipes.
Hacking Rice Flour Recipes: Rice Flour Traits
Once you hacked the code of using rice flour in a recipe, you can be creative with how you use it. So here are two main characteristics of rice flour and how it behaves in cooking.
1. Crispy Outer Texture
We all love the crispy outer crust or layer in many types of food, especially fries. With rice flour in your batter, you can make fries very crispy on the outside. So instead of using starch or flour for fries, you can use rice flour and achieve that crispiness.
2. Less Adhesiveness
Wheat is popular for its smooth dough due to the gluten structure in the flour. Rice flour, on the other hand, can make a hard dough that has low adhesiveness. It has hard and rough characteristics when it is made into a dough. Does that mean you can’t make dough out of rice flour? Of course not! I just told you that there are rice cakes and noodles in rice flour recipes. The trick here is to add hot water when you are making a dough with rice flour. That way, it will have a smooth texture when formed into a dough.
How to Use Rice Flour in Recipes
Rice flour is a versatile ingredient that can be used as a thickener, a coating, or a base for noodles and dumplings in cooking. Here are some general tips on how to use rice flour in cooking and recipes as a substitute for regular flour.
Use rice flour as a thickener in your soup or sauce.
Easy Black Sesame Soup | Healthy Chinese Dessert Recipe
Try this easy and delicious black sesame soup that can be eaten as a dessert. Super creamy, nutty, sweet, and comforting, learn this delightful dessert recipe.
1. A Thickener
To use rice flour as a thickener, whisk it with some cold water to make a slurry, and then add it to the sauce or soup at the end of the cooking process. Rice flour has a neutral flavor and helps to thicken the liquid without altering the taste of the dish. As a rule of thumb, you can use about 2 tablespoons of rice flour for every cup of liquid.
2. A Coating
To use rice flour as a coating, dredge the food you want to coat (like tofu or vegetables for instance) in rice flour before frying or baking. Rice flour creates a crispy and crunchy texture on the outside of the food, and it is a popular substitute for wheat flour for those with gluten intolerance. You can season the rice flour with salt, pepper, and other spices to add more flavor, as you would with regular wheat flour.
3. Noodles and Dumpling Sheets
There are already traditional recipes in the world that use dough made out of rice flour! To use rice flour as a base for noodles and dumplings, mix it with water and knead it into a dough. Rice flour is a key ingredient in many types of Asian rice noodles, such as Japanese udon and Vietnamese pho noodles. It is also used to make dumpling wrappers in many Asian cuisines.
4. In Baking
Rice flour can be used to make bread, cakes, cookies, pancakes, and other baked goods. However, rice flour does not have gluten, which is the protein that gives structure and elasticity to wheat-based baked goods. Therefore, rice flour cannot be used as a direct substitute for wheat flour in baking. You need to combine rice flour with other gluten-free flour, such as almond flour, oat flour, or cornstarch, to achieve the best results. You may also need to adjust the amount of liquid, leavening agents, and binders (such as eggs, oil, or xanthan gum) in your recipe to get the right texture and consistency. Here are some general guidelines on how to use rice flour in baking.
Bread
Approximate Ratio: 25% rice flour and 75% other gluten-free flour
Use this ratio in your recipe to follow. You may also need to add more yeast, eggs, oil, or xanthan gum to help the bread rise and hold together. Rice flour bread tends to be denser and heavier than wheat bread, so you may want to bake it in smaller loaves or muffin tins.
Cakes
Approximate Ratio: 50% rice flour and 50% other gluten-free flour
You may also need to add more moisture, such as oil, milk, or baking powder, to make the cake moist and fluffy. Rice flour cake tends to be more crumbly and delicate than wheat cake, so you may want to line your cake pan with parchment paper or grease it well.
Cookies
Approximate Ratio: 75% rice flour and 25% other gluten-free flour
You may also need to add more butter, sugar, or baking soda to make the cookies chewy and crispy. Rice flour cookies tend to spread more and brown faster than wheat cookies, so you may want to chill the dough before baking and watch the oven carefully.
Pancakes
Approximate Ratio: 100% rice flour
You may also need to add more milk, flaxseed eggs, or baking powder to make the pancakes light and fluffy. Rice flour pancakes tend to be thinner and softer than wheat pancakes, so you may want to cook them on a lower heat and flip them gently. I also made pancakes with oat flour before, and they work fantastic! But some may find gluten in oats.
Korean Rice Flour Recipes to Try
Now that you know how to use rice flour in your cooking and baking, here comes the fun part! I share many Korean recipes on my blog, and I am excited to introduce them to you here. Here are some of my favorite rice flour recipes that you can try at home.
Rice Flour Recommendations
Please keep in mind that there are different types of rice flour recommended for each recipe. When they are different rice flour, it won’t give you the same result.
Rice Flour for Songpyeon
McCabe Organic Rice Flour – White Rice Flour | USDA and CCOF Certified | Product of USA | 1Lbs: This rice flour has less protein content than other rice flour, making a smooth dough that is suitable for rice cake-making.
Rice Flour for Sweet Potato Rice Cake
McCabe Organic Sweet Rice Flour | Gluten Free USDA and CCOF Certified Organic Sweetened Rice Flour | 1 lb: Glutinous rice flour is also called “sweet rice flour” and has no gluten! The word glutinous can be misleading sometimes. This is a high-quality organic glutinous rice flour that is perfect for the sweet potato rice cake recipe I shared below.
Rice Flour as Thickener
Ava Farms Organic Brown Rice Flour 3 LB. Whole Grain Gluten-Free, High Fiber All-Purpose Baking Flour – Non-GMO: As a thickener, using brown rice or whole grain rice flour can be a great choice to include more whole grains into your diet. This is a high-quality organic brown rice.
1. Rice Cake
Rice cakes traditionally have rice flour in the recipe. They are so chewy and delicious! Click the link below to read my rice cake recipes.
Rice Cake Recipe | Making sonpyeon for Chuseok
This is a basic recipe for making rice cake with sweet fillings. It is a gorgeous dessert and an iconic food for Korean Thanksgiving, Chuseok.
Decorative Rice Cake Recipe Part 1 | Flowers on Songpyeon
If you want to take your rice cake songpyeon to the next level by decorating it, here is a simple way. It’s like cookie cutters but with flowers on.
Decorative Rice Cake Recipe Part 2 | Flowers, leaves, pumpkin shapes
Do you want to have flowers, leaves, and pumpkin-shaped desserts? They are so pretty, you wouldn’t need to buy flowers for your dinner table if you have them.
Sweet Potato Rice Cake Recipe
This is one of my husband’s favorite rice cakes! Just one note: this recipe requires glutinous rice flour, not regular rice flour. But once you have them, this chewy dessert will sure to steal your heart!
2. Jeon, Korean Savory Pancakes
Korean Pancake | Vegan Pajeon Recipe (scallion pancake)
There are so many different kinds of savory pancakes in Korea, but pajeon, which is a pancake with scallions, is one of the most popular savory pancakes.
Korean Meatball Recipe | Traditionally Vegan with Soybeans
This is not exactly “pancakes” but is part of a dish called jeon, which can be translated to Korean pancakes in English. As a binder and to give a crispy outer layer, rice flour is added in. Packed with flavor, plant protein, and power, I make this often at home.
Summary of Rice Flour Recipes
Whether you are sensitive to gluten or just simply curious to try out rice flour, I hope you found this blog post interesting and useful. There are so many uses for rice flour and learning a few rice flour recipes would be the best way to use the rice flour. I hope you try the Korean rice flour recipes. Let me know if you have tried and enjoyed it 😊 Happy cooking!
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