You may have heard that rice flour is used as a substitute for wheat flour in gluten-free products, but you may not be familiar with the different types of rice flour available. At first, I didn’t know what to buy either.
Rice flour is sold in the flour section of both regular American supermarkets and Asian supermarkets. There are 100% rice flour products as well as Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour, which is a mixture of rice flour and other ingredients such as tapioca flour or potato starch.
Because rice flour does not contain the sticky gluten in wheat flour, it must be mixed with other sticky flour like tapioca or potato starch to create a stable dough or batter. This is why Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour is convenient for making bread and cakes.
However, 100% rice flour is usually sufficient and much cheaper for general cooking purposes. For example, you can use it for dusting fish before frying, making white sauce, or even for making curry.
The most affordable rice flour can be found in Asian supermarkets. I buy Korean rice flour, which is 4 pounds for only $7.00.
Rice flour is also healthier than wheat flour, so give it a try. You can probably find similar products in Chinese supermarkets as well.
However, be aware that the rice flour sold in Asian supermarkets may have coarse particles, making it unsuitable for making light, fluffy bread or cakes. Even if you mix in other flours, it may end up heavy and dense.