One of the ingredients that I found confusing when I first started baking gluten free was sweet rice flour.
I kept seeing this flour in gluten free recipes, but I could not find it anywhere in the stores in my area. I looked at several stores that carried gluten free flours and I also looked at the two health food stores in my area. Not only did no one have it, no one seemed to know what it was.
I searched quite a bit online and found that one reason that sweet rice flour is hard to fine is because it has several names. It is not only known as sweet rice flour, but also glutinous flour or sticky rice flour.
After learning this fact I went looking again for sweet rice flour under its other names. My area is somewhat limited in what it offers for gluten free options, so I was still unable to find it.
After doing some more online research though I discovered that it is used in many Asian dishes. We have a large Asian market in our area, so I decided to look for it there. Thankfully I found some at the Asian market under the name of glutinous flour and it was a good price.
I have really enjoyed learning to use this flour. I have found that in some baked goods it really helps give it a better texture and taste.
Have you had trouble finding sweet rice flour? What name have you found it under?
I use sweet rice flour in cakes and pancakes. I really think it helps them stay moist. I have no problem finding it in my area, since we have Bob’s Redmill locally, but stores that carry Asian foods should have the little boxes labeled
sticky rice flour, glutinous rice flour, or Mochiko. It is used to make dumplings and rice noodles, so it should be in any store that has a well-stocked Asian section.
I have never heard it or seen it! I have never seen it called for in recipes either.
We do not have it in my area, but in my area there are only two stores that carry GF stuff and one is a health food store where the lady told me I was crazy for thinking I needed to use Sweet Rice Flour. She said there was no need for it and that I would be wasting money to buy it. I think I might need to buy some on line though as I have an awful crumbly cake problem with some of my baked goods.
It is definitely not a necessity in all recipes, but for a few things I have noticed a big difference if I use it.
I have had trouble finding this as well. I see it listed in a lot of my recipes and I keep wondering why don’t stores carry it that carry other gluten free items.
I have been getting it through a co-op, but was still wondering if I could get it cheaper from another source.
Thanks for the information about the other names. I recently went to an Asian store about an hour from my home and found tapioca flour at a very reasonable price, so I will look there next time I go.
I like Mochiko brand – white box with blue star, I think. Found it at my local Asian market. My best friend turned me on to it several years ago when she made her Mochi Chicken.
After years of not knowing what sweet rice flour was, since I could never find any, my (new) daughter-in-law brought me some from her visit to an Asian market. Mochiko Sweet Rice Flour is worth looking for. To buy it online is pretty expensive, I’ve found, plus I’d have to buy a whole case, so I’ll probably have to make a trip to that (somewhat distant) Asian market myself one day. Our gravies really benefit from it.
That’s funny, I had the same experiences about rice flour.
I went to the next biggest citie’s health store and asked them about glutinous rice flour. The shops assistant there told me that there is no such thing since rice usually is not glutinous? So I was very confused.
My Asian friend told me about a recipe and asked me to try out out, thus I went searching. She also that this stuff would be available in every supermarket. But in Europe, it isn’t. I finally found it, though. In an Asia store in Hamburg. For a great price at that (a pound for 1.25 Euros).
Cooking experiences are still need to be made, though = )
I”m just glad I finally found it, haha.
I am wondering if white rice flour and sweet rice flour are the same thing?
No, white rice flour is made from ground white rice. Sweet rice flour is made from glutinous flour or sticky rice flour. They will give you different results in baking.