RICE BREAD 米麵包.

Taking a break from cookbook writing to show you where my curiosities have led me lately—gluten-free bread made from rice, and rice only! I discovered this method through some Taiwanese and Japanese books I’ve read, namely ones by Shiori (@shioris_vegan_pantry). It’s amazing how blended rice goo can function so similar to gluten and bake into something with a soft, tight yet light crumb like this. This rice bread has a distinct mouthfeel, denser than regular white bread but chewy and fragrant in its own right. THE RECIPE: 360 g (2 cups) raw white rice 240 g (1 cup) water, room temp 45 g (3 Tbsp) vegetable oil or vegan butter 6 g (1 tsp) salt 25 g (2 Tbsp) light-brown sugar or maple syrup 7 g (2¼ tsp) instant yeast DIRECTIONS: 1) Opt for rice that is naturally soft, springy, and fragrant. I found the best results with short-grain Japanese and Taiwanese rice; long-grain rice (like basmati, jasmine), glutinous rice, or rice flour all give poor results. Wash the rice like you would for cooking and soak in new water for 2 hrs, at room temp. 2) Drain rice well and add to a high-powered blender along with all ingredients, yeast last. Blend until very, very fine, about 2-3 mins; unblended grains will sink to the bottom, causing problems in the rising / baking process. Now the batter should be warm, about 40 C (105 F), no hotter. 3) Pour the batter into a lightly-greased non-stick loaf pan (consider parchment paper if yours isn’t non-stick). Mine is 24 cm x 10.5 cm x 9 cm. Whichever loaf pan you choose, make sure the batter only comes half-way up initially. 4) Cover and proof at 40 C (I use my oven’s lowest temp) until 1½ times the original size. Take the pan out and preheat the oven to 190 C (375 F). As soon as the batter rises to nearly 2 times the original size, bake uncovered for 35-40 mins, or until golden-brown on top. Be sure to spritz the top with water every now and then, as the rice batter is highly prone to drying-out. 5) Once baked, release the loaf onto a wire rack, to cool. It’s best fresh, but can last a few days in the fridge.