Homemade Long Grain Brown Rice Flour
This post expands on instructions provided in a prior post Cooking with Brown, Red or Black Rice 101.
Introduction
Brown rice flour is increasingly popular in gluten-free baking recipes.
Making your own flour at home allows you to get a fresher product than store bought.
Below are some pointers to help you make fluffy, digestible brown rice flour.
Optional Soaking
There are a few reasons why you might want to soak your brown rice.
Cleaning Your Brown Rice
In some cases, your rice may have some debris which you will want to clean off by soaking in some water and then rinsing and drain thoroughly.
Soaking Your Brown Rice Overnight
You can also soak your brown rice overnight with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar per cup of soaking water.
This process activates the brown rice enzymes which break down phytic acid and other antinutrients, thus making your brown rice most digestible.
Once you are done with soaking the brown rice, you will want to rinse and drain it well.
Drying Soaked Brown Rice
Whether you have simply rinsed your rice or soaked it for hours, you will need a method to dry it prior to milling.
Pan Drying
A wide shallow pan is a great option for drying your brown rice.
It is usually best to spread the brown rice out as thinly as possibly – about a quarter inch deep at most.
Set your pan to medium heat and allow to heat up the rice for about 5 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon occasionally.
If rice is not completely dry, then reduce heat to low and stir some more for another 5 minutes.
By then, the brown rice should be dry to the touch.
Using a Dehydrator
You can also use a dehydrator to dry the brown rice.
Because brown rice is so small, you will need a dehydrator mesh to contain the brown rice on the dehydrator trays.
I typically criss cross mine so as to minimize any grains falling through.
Set the dehydrator to 145 °F for 2 hours.
This temperature is the one typically recommended to prevent contamination from Bacilleus Cereus spores which thrive at lower temperature when combined with moisture and oxygen.
Milling the Rice
Whether you are starting with raw brown rice or dehydrated soaked rice, the milling process is the same.
Using a High Speed Blender
While a high speed blender does a pretty good job of making brown rice flour, for the finest, fluffiest results, you will want to sift it to remove any residual gritty pieces.
Load no more than a cup of brown at a time in your blender and blend at high speed for 3 minutes.
Sift the flour to separate out the coarser pieces which you can save for other application such as thickening soups.
Using a Home Stone Mill
Because rice is a soft grain, a home stone mill is perfect for turning it into flour.
Simply pick the finest setting for the mill and pass the rice through once.
Note: If only part of your household is strictly gluten-free, consider having a mill dedicated to gluten-free grains so as to avoid cross contamination.
Using a Micronizer Mill
If you are using a micronizer mill such as the Nutrimill Classic, then you will want to pass your brown rice through at the smallest feed rate and the fastest setting.
Flour will turn out soft and fluffy with no need for sifting.
For tips on choosing a grain mill, please see this guide.
Storage
Brown rice flour contains volatile oils and is best used soon after milling.
If you have any leftover flour, freezing is your best option.
Alternatively, for best results, store for no longer than a few weeks in an airtight mason jar.
Where to Buy Brown Rice
Brown rice is easily and affordably found in most grocery stores.
If you are looking for certified gluten-free, organic brown rice Lundberg is a reputable brand which you can find on Amazon and in bulk at Azure Standard.
In addition, in this post you can access a FREE PDF download containing 20 online sources of whole grain rice.
Conclusion
Using the above tips, you can easily make your own fluffy, brown rice flour at home.
Wishing you a grainlicious experience!
Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional or a nutritionist. This post is provided for general educational purposes. For a full disclaimer, please see here. As a reminder, when embarking on any type of significant diet/lifestyle change, it is wise to consult with a medical professional and continue to be monitored routinely as warranted by your particular health condition.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclaimer for more information.
