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Sweet Rice Flour is the secret weapon you need to know about. It also goes by its alternative name ‘glutinous rice flour’ although it contains no gluten. However its nickname gives you an indication of the kind of role this flour will play in your cakes and kitchen adventures. It is an invaluable gluten-free flour.
We’re now full steam ahead on our series on Gluten-Free Flours and I hope it's given you the confidence you need to embrace your gluten-free kitchen. If you want to start at the beginning then go back to my first instalment where we discuss on how to get started in gluten-free baking.
In this chapter in our series we are going to be casting our net a little wider and looking at a flour that isn’t well-known at all in western baking and I doubt you will already have in your larder. However if you are gluten-free or want to bake for friends and family that are gluten-free then this is a flour you are definitely going to want to get to know.
Today we’re investigating sweet rice flour. Until I started gluten-free baking I’m not sure I had ever heard of this flour, it’s certainly not the easiest to get a hold of, but now I find it completely indispensable in both my baking and my gluten-free cooking.
Sweet Rice Flour vs. White Rice Flour
The first thing to note is that this very fine and powdery flour is a totally different ingredient to regular ‘white rice flour’ which you can happily buy at most large supermarkets these days in the gluten-free aisle. The two products unfortunately are not interchangeable as they play completely different roles in our baking.
In fact I would almost say that white rice flour and sweet rice flour are complete opposites.
- White Rice Flour gives lightness and crunch to a recipe. It's lovely in batters or shortbread.
- Sweet Rice Flour is ground from short grain glutinous ‘sticky’ rice and is just that, soft and sticky. In fact short grain glutinous rice is the same rice that sushi is made from, so you get the picture, it likes to bind together.
Sweet rice flour is a starchy flour which can usually be found in Asian baking. The most familiar of the Asian sweets, mochi, is made from sweet rice flour and if you have ever tasted delicious treats like mochi ice cream then you are in for a good idea of the taste and effect sweet rice flour can have in our gluten-free cakes.
Why should we use Sweet Rice Flour?
The best reason for using sweet rice flour in baking is its binding properties. When we remove gluten from our cakes we are removing the essential component needed for gluing our cake together. During the bake gluten swells, forming an intricate network of gluten strands which provide cakes with their elasticity. This is what gives delicious sponge cakes their bounciness and prevents dry crumbly cakes.
Sweet rice flour has a high starch content which enables the proteins in the flour to glue together. If you have tasted mochi you will know that it has a discernible chewiness. If we harness this chewiness in the right way then we can use the sweet rice flour to mimic the elasticity of the gluten and make our gluten-free cakes incredibly soft and moist.
So sweet rice flour will give our baking excellent binding, moistness and a distinctive sweet taste. What could go wrong?
What are the disadvantages of using Sweet Rice Flour?
Basically for all the reasons that sweet rice flour is an excellent alternative flour are also the reasons that you really don’t want to go overboard in its usage. The moisture that sweet rice flour gives our bakes needs to be kept in check lest your cake loses its sponginess and just becomes really wet and chewy.
I spent ages over this Pumpkin Bread trying to get the right texture, I started off with far too much sweet rice flour and kept pulling back until the flour did its job without overwhelming the cake. The texture of this cake is now perfect and its addictiveness is all thanks to the genius of sweet rice flour.
The wonderfully distinctive sweet taste of this flour which is delicious in moderation can suddenly overwhelm a cake if used in excess and if you’re not judicious in its usage you’ll soon find all your cakes taste the same whether they are pumpkin, vanilla or banana.
How much sweet rice flour should you use?
I soon learnt that to gain all the benefits of sweet rice flour you can’t rely on this flour alone in your cakes and you need to blend it with other gluten-free flours to achieve perfect gluten-free cakes. Sweet rice flour is usually the main flour I use in any of my gluten-free flour blends but I try not to use more than about 40% in the overall blend for light and fluffy results that don’t taste overwhelmingly of sweet rice flour.
How to use sweet rice flour in savoury dishes
Sweet rice flour is the most hard-working flour in my kitchen. Not only is it invaluable in many of my cake recipes but it is also close to hand in many of my savoury recipes too. It is the best gluten-free flour for making delicious smooth and cohesive sauces.
Sweet rice flour has a quality that stops liquids for separating so is a wonderful thickener for gravies and sauces without being gritty or grainy or having an overwhelming taste. Our Sunday Roast Beef would not be the same without a wonderful gravy and you can easily substitute the wheat flour in your regular gravy recipe for the same amount of sweet rice flour. Or head on over to this recipe on how to make the perfect gluten-free gravy. Also try it in your white sauces or anything you use a roux for including cheese sauce, béchamel and gumbo.
And as for the Yorkshire Puddings, we use sweet rice flour for those too!
Pro Tip: Do note, if you add acidity to sweet rice flour it exacerbates the thickening qualities of the flour. So be wary of adding too much lemon juice, buttermilk or other acids if you are using a large quantity of sweet rice flour in your recipe.
Where to buy sweet rice flour?
Well, it's not easy to buy in the UK actually, so having pumped you up all about it I'm now about to completely deflate you. It is possible to pick up sweet rice flour in Asian supermarkets but it is not certified gluten-free so for the coeliacs among us and those that have a very strong intolerance it is not ideal.
The most reliable place to buy gluten-free sweet rice flour is Amazon.
Hi! Do you still use other starches (such as potato, tapioca or arrowroot) in your blends if you’re using sweet rice flour?
Yes, and I usually do. If you use too much sweet rice flour the bake can be a little chewy. Adding another starch helps to avoid this.
Hi Georgina
I have just messaged you under your pastry recipe that uses sweet rice flour, and after reading this article (just found) I have answered my questions. I would still appreciate your thoughts on recommendation for flour or are they all of a similar quality?
Many thanks
Sandra
Hi Sandra, I'll answer in both places in case it helps other readers too. In general, yes they are of a similar quality, although each brand is slightly different. It's negligible. I often buy my sweet rice flour from our local Asian supermarket as it is the most affordable - since I use a lot!! However, it is not certified gluten-free - so if that is important to your health then you are best to use the more expensive brands which say on the label that they are certified.
Thank you for both responses, they are really helpful. No, not coeliac so will order from Amazon. I want to try your pastry recipe soon so must get ordering.
I am loving your site, so informative. So much to learn and try to understand. I have been gluten free for about 18 months and cooking/baking for a lifetime so lots to get my head around.
Sandra
Hi there. Love your blog/ website.
Where do you get your sweet rice flour from?
Hi Georgie, I get my sweet rice flour via Amazon >>> Gluten-Free Sweet Rice Flour and it's certified gluten-free. However, you can buy it at Asian supermarkets, it's labelled as glutinous rice flour or mochi flour.
You’ve provided wonderful information. Thank you. My question is, can I substitute sweet white rice flour in a recipe that calls for sweet brown rice flour?
Hi Sally, I don't know about sweet brown rice flour. However, regular brown rice flour cannot be substituted as it is a wholegrain flour whereas sweet rice flour is a starchy flour. They behave very differently and cannot be substituted.
Georgina it is problematic trying to purchase ;"sweet rice flour" or sticky rice flour for this reason;- they are not labeled sweet rice flour or sticky rice flour.
I would like to know were in Melbourne I can purchase these products marked at I have stated above.
Like you live in Melbourne to. Maybe the name of the business who sells these products would also be very helpful.
Hi Marlene, Sweet rice flour is also called Glutinous Rice Flour. I believe you can buy it in the Asian aisle of supermarkets in Australia. I have heard of it being available at Coles.
The first time I knew there was a real difference was when I had Mochiko chicken in Maui. It is so delicious and can only be made with sweet rice flour. I am so glad to find your article here!
Mochiko chicken sounds delicious - I must look out for that recipe!
Can I sub sweet brown rice flour for a recipe that calls for brown rice flour?
Is there a conversion?
Thanks in advance. 🙂
No, they are very different. Sweet brown rice flour is the wholegrain glutinous rice flour. Brown rice flour is the wholegrain version of regular white rice flour. Your recipe would not turn out as intended and you are much better to sub in white rice flour if you have it.
HI -- I would like access to your cheatsheet, etc. Would you please email me? Thank you!
Katie
Hi Katie, you can download it at the link here!
How would you tell ordinary rice flour and glutinous/sweet rice flour apart at home?....I have a tub of something lingering at the back of my cupboard and it is either of the two but I don't know which as the label is long gone! Would there be a way to test that would confirm which it is do you think?
Sweet rice flour is often finer and more powdery than white rice flour. However, it really depends on the brands. The best way is to taste. White rice flour will be a little more gritty and not taste of anything whereas sweet rice flour has a very subtle delicate sweet taste.
Have you found a good substitute for sweet white rice when it come to a all purpose flour? (allergic to rice, wheat, buckwheat, oats) Do you have a all purpose blend you use? I am trying to configure an all purpose, pastry, bread, flour blends!
Thank you
If you are allergic to rice then I think that almond flour is your best bet. It gives good structure and bounce to bakes. I don't usually use an all-purpose blend as I tailor the flours to suit the cake I am baking. But if you can't have sweet rice flour then try experimenting with almond flour as it's very versatile too.
Its here now!! Sorry I re-posted because for some reason my comment was not showing up!
Eventually that is what I want to do...but I think if I can get a AP down that is a good start. I know Almond flour tends to be a little heavier (good for breads) of a flour so would you use less of it or cut the amount with a medium flour.
Hi Jesi, you are right that almond flour tends to be a little heavier so if you are looking for a lighter flour blend you will need to blend it with other flours. I don't know if you've had a look at my Guide to Gluten-Free Flours but that would be a really good place for you to start to develop your AP blend and it explains what ratios of starch to wholegrain flours you should use. Download my Gluten-Free Flours Cheatsheet as well which will give you a definitive list of the most common gluten-free flours for you to make up the blend. If you don't have any allergies to sorghum then that would be a lovely flour to include in an AP blend along with the almond flour. It is not neutral tasting but it's earthiness does go very well with most flavours, in particular it's very good with vanilla.
I need how to measure Sweet Rice Flour when recipe uses Sweet Rice - grains.
Equivalency...?
It completely depends what the recipe is. Are you trying to use sweet rice flour in place of the sweet rice?
nuts.com carries some very nice gluten-free flours.
Thanks for the info on the difference between rice flours. I am just getting started on gluten-free baking. I have an intolerance that Is contributing to my chronic inflammation. This is a hard thing to change after years of regular wheat products, but thanks to people like you It can be done.
It's a hard switch to make at first but once you get the hang of the GF flours then you'll find a world of possibilities opening to you!
Have you tried grinding your own sweet rice flour? I am very interested in trying this flour in my baking but really like doing my own whenever possible and cutting out the big boys (Amazon!)
I haven't actually. I do have a vitamix, but can you get the same finely ground powder as the bought stuff? I thought you needed a proper rice mill. Let me know if you give it a go and how you get on!!
Do you use xanthum gum if you are using sweet rice flour?
No, I don't use xanthan gum at all in any of my baking and try to use a combination of flours which mean that the xanthan gum (which is used for thickening and adding elasticity to the bakes) isn't necessary.
I've got a question: Is sweet rice flour the same as sticky rice flour?
Yes it's the same.