Can anyone tell me the tips and tricks of substituting rice flour for all purpose, for baking?

Most recipies that I find with rice flour also call for cornstarch.

Mixing flours works really well. I do not like rice flour all by  it self.

Combinations of oat, rice, millet, teff, flaxmeal.

What are you trying to make and for what purpose?

try the recipes here above!
great many ideas and tips to follow!

Hi lddowler and welcome  

When I searched "brown rice flour" on the recipe file...I got these recipes.
http://www.dadamo.com/typebase.....er=abc&header=on

I like to mix rice flour with flax meal.  I've had good success with mixing it up to half-and-half.  If you can use eggs it really helps, but even if you can't, you can still make some nice breads.

If you go to the Recipe base and type in Ribbit, you'll get a list of my recipes.  Most of my breads/cakes/biscuits are gluten-free and egg-free.

I'd just like a good substitute for regular flour! I don't think I should be eating the other wheat relatives, it just doesn't seem right to me, so using spelt or rye instead isn't for me. However, I LOVE the idea of using ground flax with rice flour.

I find rice flour fine for cooking, but it would be nice to whip up some cookies and other goodies from time to time that the whole family can enjoy without consequence!

I'm an O, my brother is vegan, the rest of my family big on processed foods. I had become quite good at tweaking recipies that all of could enjoy, but they all contained wheat or corn. I often use flax as an egg replacer, so knowing that I can grind it to use (partially) as a flour too is a huge help for me. Thanks!

It would be really great if there was a food list for celiacs of each blood type too...

Just tweak the diet to your needs. You know what you need best.

A few to get you salivating:

http://www.dadamo.com/typebase4/recipedepictor7x.cgi?770

http://www.dadamo.com/typebase4/recipedepictor7x.cgi?1092

http://www.dadamo.com/typebase4/recipedepictor7x.cgi?817

http://www.dadamo.com/typebase4/recipedepictor7x.cgi?1102

Quoted Text

I often use flax as an egg replacer, so knowing that I can grind it to use (partially) as a flour too is a huge help for me.

you might enjoy this one
focaccia
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/breads/r/flaxbasicfoc.htm

Here's my "all purpose gluten free flour mix":

3/4 cup rice flour (brown or white)
1/4 cup starch (corn starch, potato starch, or arrowroot)
1 tsp xanthan gum (or any other kind of gum.)

The above works well in breads or in cakes and cookies and stuff, but the following proportions work even better in cakes and cookies:

1/2 cup rice flour
1/2 cup starch
1/4 tsp gum

You can mix up a big batch of flour mixture and measure it out, cup for cup, in recipes as needed. Or you can mix up what you need for each recipe.

For making rice flour breads, I've sucessfully cut out the extra starch, but it just does NOT hold together without the gum. OTOH, for cakes or cookies, you can use the starch and skip the gum- they will be more crumbly without the gum, but if you use enough starch, it still works.

Potato starch can be subbed for corn starch. They're both Type O avoids, but corn is a "bigger avoid". I personally avoid corn even in trace amounts, but will occasionally have a bite of something made with potato starch. Arrowroot starch (which is the exact same thing as arrowroot flour) subs equally well and is perfectly fine for Os, although 3-4X the price (which is why I still use some potato starch in my house, for things that I dont' plan to eat, or only plan to have a tiny portion of.)

Hello Iddowler, nice to meet you

I use rice flour in my cookie and quickbread recipes. I prefer brown rice flour but have successfully used white rice flour. It's especially good in combination with ground flaxseed and other gluten-free flours like oat, millet, etc.

The one drawback I've found is that rice flour can be rather gritty or sandy. You can get around this by letting it soak in the liquid ingredients in your recipe. For example, if I'm making walnut-chocolate chip cookies, I'll cream the ghee or oil and sugar as the recipe indicates, add in the eggs and vanilla, and then add the rice flour (and ground flaxseed if I'm using it). The baking soda or powder goes in after the batter sits for a few minutes, then I add the walnuts and chocolate chips and proceed as usual.

You can do this with quickbreads like muffins and tea loaves also. Add  the rice flour to the liquid ingredients and let it soak while you're measuring out the other ingredients. Add the leavening--the baking soda or powder--at the very last so your bread or muffins will rise.

Hope this is helpful to you. Welcome to the board, I look forward to your posts

Quoted from Brighid45

.... if I'm making walnut-chocolate chip cookies,

recipe please  

This is a great thread, thank you for starting it Iddowler!

Quoted from Pat58

This is a great thread, thank you for starting it Iddowler!

I stickied it so it won't go away. This is always a question it seems. Rice flour is harder to bake with it seems, so now we'll always have the answers.   I'm hoping we get lots more cause I'm one of the ones 'not in the know'.  

Oooh, those are some yummy recipes!

I'll have to try to get my hands on some gum... perhaps that will solve my problem. I tried to make a cake today with a mix of rice and spelt, but it turned out AWFUL!

I fell off the wagon and had a 2 inch square of my signature spice chiffon cake with cream cheese icing- now I'd like to crawl into a hole and die.  I can get vegan cream cheese, that's no issue. Eggs are no issue, but I NEED to find a flour substitute that will work well in fine baking. Maybe I'll try to order some gum online- suggestions?

vegan cream cheese sounds nasty!
got all ingredients listed by any chance?

If you use a recipe that calls for just rice flour, substitute in a little bit of sweet rice flour, it makes for much smoother results.

Use half sweet rice flour and half amaranth flour for cookies.  That combo works well for dumplings as well (if you can have eggs, I haven't found a way to make them good without eggs)

Different combinations work well for different items, so unfortunately I haven't found a blend that works well in everything.

Teff flour works well in cakes and similar sweet dark things, as it has a sweet flavor.  Quinoa flour works well in savory things, kind of substitutes for corn, flavor-wise.  Amaranth has nice flavor when blended with other flours, and a nice texture for cookies.  Sweet rice flour also makes good gravy and similar roux based sauces.  Bean flours also work well in certain things, like flatbreads, pizza crust and breading... always with a blend of ingredients, never just one flour.

The one I can't do without is sweet rice flour...if only I could find some brown sweet rice flour or figure out a way to grind it fine enough!

If you can eat spelt, all your problems are over.  You can substitute spelt in any whole wheat recipe.

Quinoa muffins:

http://www.dadamo.com/typebase4/recipedepictor7x.cgi?753

These are very earth-tasting, but I love them warm with ghee and coffee.  Er, uh....green tea.

Millet and flax mix nicely too:

http://www.dadamo.com/typebase4/recipedepictor7x.cgi?1048

Can one substitute teff for amaranth 1:1 for baking and it do ok? like for compliant brownies?

I use this recipe for brownies:

http://www.dadamo.com/typebase4/recipedepictor7x.cgi?1163

In fact, I made it for Julia's birthday cake tonight.

Hi There

Yes this seems to be a problem to all the beginners.  Can anybody please tell em what Meal I can use in the place of Flax meal as I just cannot get my hands on any. I have been to several stores without success. I would really like to bake the Cinnamon Flax Muffins. I have bought the rice flour and other ingredients, but no Flax seed meal available.  Thank you

I grind flaxseeds to a meal in an electric coffee grinder with blades. I know there are different types of coffee grinders and all are not suitable.

You can also use a blender or a bullet (as Karen says for the coffee grinder the one with the blades that stick up) to grind your whole flaxseed.  Just don't put too much in at a time.  I put in about half a cup and that grinds really nice.  Too much and you will have whole seeds left.   I try not to ever buy flaxseed that is already ground as it can be bitter (rancid) if not kept refridgerated.  It smells and tastes so much better if you grind it as you need it.  I really love the focaccia bread that Lola posted.  It is awesome and so versatile.   My favorite added ingredients are grated zucchini, sundried tomatoes and basil. And GARLIC...ooooooops....forgot that...how could I? Yummilicious.   I have one in the oven as I type.   So easy and so fast.  

Awesome thread this one.  

Debra

Quoted from Debra+

You can also use a blender or a bullet (as Karen says for the coffee grinder the one with the blades that stick up) to grind your whole flaxseed.

I love my Bullet! I just bought another one with an extended warrantee on it!  It's great for kids to make their own smoothies. (I'd say age 8 and up) Right in the mug.
For anyone who is looking for a great site to buy flour...
http://www.nutsonline.com/cookingbaking/flours/

Skillie--if you can buy whole flaxseed, you can use them that way. If you cannot get flaxseed where you are, I'm not sure what would be a good substitute. (Adding extra egg whites might help, but I haven't tried that myself so cannot say for sure it will work.) You can omit the flaxseed meal from recipes; it will mean your quickbreads, cakes etc will be more crumbly, but they'll still taste good

IB, I just use the Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe. I've made those cookies so many times over the years the recipe is engraved in my brain! Just substitute rice flour/flaxseed or your favorite GF flour blend for the all-purpose flour and use demerara or maple sugar for the brown sugar, and omit the white sugar.

If you decide to use ghee in place of butter, it's better to use the pan cookie or slice and bake variations, as the dough will be softer and more likely to spread and possibly burn when made in the 'rounded tablespoon' way. I prefer the slice and bake method, it works out pretty well.

You could probably substitute flaxseed for the eggs if necessary. I haven't done it so cannot vouch for results, but it's worth a try if eggs are an avoid for you.

I use Ghirardelli 60% cacao chocolate chips (or chopped-up organic fair-trade dark chocolate bars) and organic walnuts. Sometimes I add some hulled pumpkin seeds for extra protein and tastiness. Dried cranberries are yummy too.

Here's the recipe, done BTD style.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 1/4 cups gluten-free flour
(you can use your favorite mild-tasting GF blend)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup ghee
3/4 cup demarara, maple or organic dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (opt)
2 large eggs
2 cups Ghirardelli 60% cacao chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate bars
1 cup chopped nuts
(you may use walnuts, pecans, slivered almonds, pumpkin or sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, raisins, or a mix of whatever's compliant)

Preheat oven to 375F.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat ghee, sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chips and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. (I line mine with parchment paper.)

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Pan cookies: Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan. Prepare dough as above. Spread into prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack. Makes 4 dozen bars.

Slice and bake cookies:
Prepare dough as above. Divide in half; wrap in waxed paper. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. Shape each half into 15-inch log; wrap in wax paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.* Preheat oven to 375F. Cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices; place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

* May be stored in refrigerator for up to 1 week or in freezer for up to 8 weeks.

For HIGH ALTITUDE baking(5,200 feet): Increase flour to 2 1/2 cups. Add 2 teaspoons water with flour and reduce brown sugar to 2/3 cup. Bake drop cookies for 8 to 10 minutes and pan cookies for 17 to 19 minutes.