Homemade rice flour

Homemade rice flour step-by-step recipe with photos.

Rice flour is a type of flour made by milling rice. It is a good substitute for wheat flour as it is gluten-free. It also acts as a thickening agent. Making rice flour at home is very easy. You can make small batches and use as needed. Homemade rice flour is obviously more fresh than the store-bought ones and it has a light nutty flavour and aroma to it.

The biggest benefit of making rice flour at home is that you can activate the rice before grinding. Activated grains are very beneficial when compared to unactivated grains. Activation is the process of soaking grains, nuts, or legumes in water. It is a fairly easy process, but an important one as it increases the health benefits of the grains many folds. Activating the grains reduces phytates, thereby increasing the availability of nutrients of this food. Phytates have the ability to bind to the nutrients, and thereby preventing the absorption of the nutrients. Phytates are classified as anti-nutrients. Activating the grains, nuts or legumes will reduce the phytate levels thereby making the nutrients from them absorbable. Activating grains is particularly important if you are a vegetarian or vegan, and all your nutrition comes from plant-based products.

I always soak the rice for 24 hours before drying and grinding it. However, for the phytates to break down, the grains, nuts, and legumes must be soaked for a minimum of 10-12 hours. I highly recommend soaking the rice for at least 12 hours. However, if you run out of time, soak it for at least three to four hours. This will definitely help in the grinding process.

Follow my simple guide to make rice flour at home with activated rice.

For more cooking basics and kitchen how-to’s, click here.

For more gluten-free recipes, click here.

To make Karnatak-style rice flour flatbread, click here.

Homemade rice flour step-by-step recipe with photos:

1. Wash the rice thoroughly and soak in water for three to four hours

2. Drain all the water and spread it on a clean kitchen towel

3. Let the rice dry completely

4. Grind in batches in a blender

5. Ground rice flour

6. Pass it through the sieve to remove any unground particles