Homemade Gluten-Free Brown Rice Noodles

Introduction

Recently, I saw on social media a video of gluten-free pasta sheets coming out of a pasta maker.

The pasta sheets were nice and smooth and they looked just like regular wheat pasta.

Of course, I had to investigate further and I ended up buying the ebook which contained two different noodle recipes.

The ebook’s Udon noodle recipe seemed like the easiest and it became my starting template.

While this original recipe used refined rice flour and eggs, I thought surely I could make a brown rice plant-based version ( very appropriate considering Brown( Red or Black) rice is the Grain of the Month in this series on Whole Grains 101 ).

And so, for the past week, I conducted a series of experiments, trying to tweak my recipe into a simpler, fully plant-based version.

Now, after many noodle trials – some more successful than others – I bring you my brown rice noodle recipe which is quite a bit different from the starting template : )

As an added bonus, read on to learn about my game changing pasta station cart as well equipment and ingredient tips.

My Game Changing Pasta Station Cart

There she is, look at her, this unassuming pasta station cart that has changed my pasta making game.

Benefits

Oh, but the many benefits she brings.

Benefit 1

Prior to having a pasta station cart, any time I wanted to make pasta, I would have to bring out my various pasta making tools which obviously took some extra time.

Now, all my pasta tools are grouped together in one place making it easier to get started anytime.

Benefit 2

Before having this cart, I used to attach my manual pasta machine to my dining room table.

This meant, before each meal, I would need to clear the table, move my tools, and so on and so forth.

Now, the pasta machine can stay on the cart 24/7 and it can easily be rolled out of the way – no longer an inconvenience.

Benefit 3

I used to run out of horizontal surfaces to dry out my pasta.

Now, once done with rolling pasta, I can use up to three well ventilated shelves for pasta drying – another space saver!

Benefit 4

Notice the dark blue towel on the floor.

It isn’t there by accident.

When making pasta, I stand on it so that any flour that spills over is contained by the towel.

Then, when done, I simply go shake it outside – minimizing floor cleanup.

Benefit 5

Also notice the plastic place mats on which the noodles are drying.

While it may be more traditional to dry pasta on cotton tablecloths, the convenience of small place mats cannot be ignored.

They take less space and can easily be moved around.

I picked mine up from the Dollar Tree a few years back but you can also get some more upscale looking ones here if you prefer.

How the Cart Was Assembled

I already had a utility cart available which I repurposed into this pasta station.

As it turns out, I was also able to reuse part of an old table which is why the wood piece is smaller than the top shelf.

Ideally, I would have wanted a cart with a built-in wood top like this one.

Even if you don’t end up creating for yourself a rolling pasta making cart, do consider having a pasta station somewhere in your home.

It will make it much easier, faster and more enjoyable for you to make pasta at any time you choose.

How about you?

Do you have any game changing pasta making tips?

Please do share in the comments so that others can benefit from them as well.

Equipment Discussion and Tips

Milling Equipment

High Speed Blender

The recipe includes steps to mill your brown rice using a high speed blender.

This is because brown rice flour is not as easy to find as just plain brown rice.

While it is faster and easier to use a grain mill if you have one, I thought it would be helpful to include the steps for using a blender since that is more widely available.

The main concern when using a blender is that some of the rice will not grind completely and you will have a coarse, gritty flour.

There are two things you can do to prevent this.

First, you will want to blend one cup of rice for a full three minutes so that the brown rice is as finely crushed as possible.

Second, you will want to sift the flour using a fine mesh flour sifter to remove the coarse pieces.

If you find yourself milling a lot of brown rice flour and get tired of sifting, then you may want to consider investing in a grain mill. (An in depth guide on choosing a grain mill can be found here.)

Grain Mill

Both a home stone mill and a micronizer mill will give you good results with brown rice.

You will obtain a soft, fluffy flour in just one pass at the fine setting.

More detailed steps for milling brown rice flour with a grain mill can be found here.

Pasta Making Tools

Rolling Pin

While this recipe shows the steps for using a pasta maker, it is quite possible to make the noodles with just a rolling pin and a knife.

You can even use any round glass container instead of a rolling pin if that is all you have.

For a long time all I had was a rolling pin but I found it difficult to get uniformly and thin results.

I even invested in an Italian rolling pin specifically for making pasta.

But I didn’t get the results I was hoping for.

Manual Pasta Maker

Finally, I decided to try using a manual pasta maker.

Well, that definitely upped my pasta game.

Now, I could make thin, delicious, uniform noodles in so much less time.

I’m up to my second pasta maker.

Not that there was anything wrong with the first one.

It’s just that I wanted to try out other pasta attachments and the Imperia pasta maker had options I was interested in.

I love the Imperia pasta maker but I do want to mention that there is another popular pasta maker with even more attachment options.

Spider Strainer

A spider strainer is a great tool for retrieving pasta quickly and efficiently.

Before getting a strainer, I was using a pasta server when cooking multiple batches of pasta but it simply was not picking up all the little bits of noodles floating around.

Just another little tool that can make a big difference.

Bowl Scraper

You will also notice in the instructions a silicone black bowl scraper which I use as a dough cutter.

It has become my favorite way of cutting dough because it is gentle and will not scratch or cut through any surface the dough rests on.

Ingredients Discussion

Brown Rice

This recipe was purposely tested with long grain brown rice because that is the most commonly grown rice in North America.

It will work with any type of rice (long, medium or short grain).

Keep in mind that if you happen to have sweet sticky glutinous rice, then you will want to use at most half glutinous rice and half non-glutinous rice.

You should be able to use sprouted rice flour, as well, though I have not yet tested that option.

While you can buy organic brown rice flour, I have provided above instructions for milling your own brown rice flour.

For an in depth overview of rice varieties and a definition of glutinous rice, please see the previous post titled Cooking with Brown, Red or Black Rice 101.

Rice Flour for Dusting

I recommend plain white rice flour for dusting the noodles.

It is easily found at most Asian grocery stores.

Especially when you are starting out, the plain rice flour is powder fine and makes it easier to roll out the noodles without causing any breakage.

I also prefer to reserve my quality, more expensive rice for what I will actually eat.

You certainly can use your homemade rice flour but you will want to use more sparingly and dust off any coarser pieces (especially if using blender made flour.)

Tapioca Starch

Tapioca starch is the main product of the yucca/cassava plant.

It is a popular ingredient in plant-based recipes because of its stretchiness when heated.

In this noodle recipe, tapioca starch is one of the binding agents.

Because it is not the sole binding agent, in a pinch, you could try using arrowroot as a substitute though I have not personally tried it when testing out this recipe.

Flax

Ground flax seeds are commonly used as an egg replacer in plant-based recipes.

When combined with water, they have a texture similar to egg whites.

Flax seeds are also known to have a healthy amount of omega-3  fatty acids as well as fiber.

In this recipe, flax seeds are used for their binding properties.

While brown flax seeds work just fine, you will want to use golden flax seeds if you are dealing with picky eaters and don’t want them to know they are having whole grain noodles.

You can certainly buy ground golden flaxseed, but if you already have a high speed blender, you can just as easily grind your own golden flax seeds and get a fresher product.

You could use ground up chia seeds as they have similar gelling properties.

White chia seeds are becoming more commonly available as well if you are aiming for a lighter color.

Psyllium Husk

Psyllium husk is another popular plant-based binding agent which also happens to be high in healthy soluble fiber.

In this noodle recipe, psyllium husks add pliability and strong binding power.

Make sure you get the powder or else grind them into powder with your blender.

Agar

Agar is a seaweed based product which has strong elasticity, just like gelatin.

In fact, there are Japanese clear gel noodles made from just agar and water.

These are very popular for weight loss as they are filling yet zero calories.

With agar, a little goes a long way: a quarter teaspoon of agar powder is sufficient to gel one cup of water.

A substitute for agar is xanthan gum but in my mind it is a more processed product which may not be suitable for everyone.

Hot Water

As in many Asian noodle recipes, hot water is needed here to activate the binding power of the different ingredients including tapioca, flax, psyllium husk and agar.

Nevertheless, it is also useful to include some rest time for the dough – a minimum of 30 minutes in the refrigerator, to allow it to relax.

If it is more convenient for you, dough can rest in the refrigerator overnight – though I have not personally tried more than 12 hours rest time.

Conclusion

So there you have it, all my tips for making pasta that I’ve learned so far.

I hope you enjoy this noodle recipe.

If you are interested in buying brown rice and other whole grains in larger quantities, be sure to check out this post on Where to Buy Whole Grains Online.

Wishing you a grainlicious experience!

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