Brown rice flour is much higher in protein than wheat flour.
Brown rice flour is a nutritious alternative to wheat flour and is naturally gluten-free. It is high in protein, iron, fiber and vitamin B. When cooking with brown rice flour, it's important to note some of its unique characteristics in order to make proper adjustments to your recipe, such as its high oil content and its grainy texture. With the proper adjustments and cooking techniques, you can use the nutty and flavorful brown rice flour in most baked good recipes.
Instructions
1. Grind brown rice flour if it has a rougher texture than the powdery white or wheat-based flour that your recipe calls for. While some brown rice flours will come as a fine four, they may have a rough texture. Pulse it with a flour mill or coffee grinder to smoothen its texture.
2. Extend the time that you beat any dough that contains brown rice flour. Adding extra time to beating brown rice flour, like in most gluten-free flours, will add aeration to the dough. If you are substituting brown rice flour for a white or wheat flour, you can double the beating time required by the recipe to make sure that your finished product will be light and aerated.
3. Coat your hands with cooking oil when kneading or working dough that contains brown rice flour. Gluten-free flours have a great tendency to stick to your hands and other surfaces, so always coat your hands with oil before working the dough. You should also use non-stick utensils when working the dough.
4. Adjust the cooking method for bread or other baked goods that contain brown rice flour, if your recipe is for traditional flour. For breads, remove the bread from its loaf pan when it is firm enough to stand on its own, and continue cooking without the pan directly on the oven rack. For pizzas or flatbreads, use a pizza stone or other heavy-bottomed cooking stone that can be placed directly in the oven. Because brown rice flour contains more moisture than a traditional white or wheat flour, a pizza stone will help the product get perfectly crisp and not soggy.
5. Store the brown rice flour in the freezer in order to preserve its freshness. Unlike regular all-purpose flour or gluten flours, brown rice flour is very high in protein and oil, which means it will spoil quickly at room temperature. Always be aware of brown rice flour's expiration date.
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