Back to the blog! Its been a long while since I have talked about baking or gluten free. Many things have happened since the last post. I moved (one street over but man was that work), we lost two wonderful people we knew, got a new mixer and bakery station and discovered a passion for photography and love my new camera. So now that things are settled down a bit, I want to get back to the fun business of baking.
I taught a baking class at The Cook's Warehouse and talked about the characteristics of flour. During the class, the topic came up concerning flours and some students wanted to know why people had to learn the characteristics of flour. I was a little shocked that people attending a baking class weren't sure why this was important. Learning about flour has freed me from having to always turn to a pre made mix if I wanted to make something new. It also helps me to better understand what went wrong when it didn't taste or look good. Even though I have learned quite a bit, I am still learning what each flour does and how it can compliment or even ruin my baking. For the next 3 posts I will talk about rice flours.
I'm sure you are ready for some recipes and thinking "Do you really need to talk so much about flour?". Yes! While working with flour is simple, it requires some type of liquid to moisten it (milk or water), fat for flavor or additional moistening and spices or fruit to erase the blandness and bring it to life. Each flour gives you a different taste, texture and feel. All food is not made equal so all flours are not…. so learning the foundation makes it much easier to bake.
My favorite flour to work with is white rice flour. It's made from finely ground rice and that should give you a clue as to how it behaves if you cook with it. If you overcook rice it becomes gluey and sticky. In the world of cooking, I personally believe white rice is and should remain banned. But for your baking, white rice will lift and aerate your baked goods because of its light, powdery texture. The shelf life of white rice flour that is stored in a dry area tightly closed is up to 2 years making it a great staple for your baking.
Where can you use it? Definitely not by itself that's for sure. In all your baking recipes, your baking percentage of white rice should not be more than 50%. More than that will give you a possibly chewy and gummy product. Luckily you can pair white rice with almost any flour that is a heavier grain (millet, buckwheat, sorghum, etc). White rice flour is similar to your pastry or XOXO baking flour so it would work best in cakes, cupcakes and muffins.
My favorite flour to work with is white rice flour. It's made from finely ground rice and that should give you a clue as to how it behaves if you cook with it. If you overcook rice it becomes gluey and sticky. In the world of cooking, I personally believe white rice is and should remain banned. But for your baking, white rice will lift and aerate your baked goods because of its light, powdery texture. The shelf life of white rice flour that is stored in a dry area tightly closed is up to 2 years making it a great staple for your baking.
Where can you use it? Definitely not by itself that's for sure. In all your baking recipes, your baking percentage of white rice should not be more than 50%. More than that will give you a possibly chewy and gummy product. Luckily you can pair white rice with almost any flour that is a heavier grain (millet, buckwheat, sorghum, etc). White rice flour is similar to your pastry or XOXO baking flour so it would work best in cakes, cupcakes and muffins.
Bob's Red Mill white rice
Where do you get white rice flour? Several companies carry this type of flour. You can try Arrowhead, Authentic Foods or my go to flour spot, Bob's Red Mill. Also, many grocery stores are beginning to stock flours in their natural or organic food sections. Acquiring gluten free flours can get pricey as you increase your variety so when possible purchase online and in larger quantities and share with friends or coworkers who bake gluten free.
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