Sweet rice flour has many uses that go beyond baking. This flour made from sticky rice grains gives cooks other options in recipes that call for regular white flour or wheat flour. Add this to my Recipe Box.
History
Sweet rice flour is made from sticky white or brown rice ground into a powder. Sweet rice flour is also known as mochiko or mochi flour and is a common ingredient in Asian cuisine.
Thickening Agent
One of the most common uses for sweet rice flour is as a thickener in sauces. It has the ability to keep liquids from separating, so it is often used in sauces that will be frozen or refrigerated. Unlike cornstarch, using sweet rice flour as a thickener will not turn a sauce spongy after freezing. Although white flour can be a substitute for cornstarch when thickening sauces, sauces that contain it will separate if they are frozen and then thawed.
Other Uses
Added to pizza dough, sweet rice flour provides a crispier crust. In addition, it works as a coating on chicken before frying.
Desserts
Sweet rice flour is a common ingredient in Asian desserts. It is also a useful addition to baked recipes when combined with other flours as long as a 1:1 ratio (white or wheat flour versus sweet rice flour) is preserved. Sweet rice flour gives baked goods a smooth texture, unlike wheat flours that tend to make the mixture "gritty."
Benefits
Sweet rice flour is an alternative for people with wheat allergies or celiac disease, because it is gluten free.
Tags: rice flour, common ingredient, common ingredient Asian, flour common, flour common ingredient