How to Grind Sweet Rice (7 Steps)

Sweet rice flour might benefit people who have an aversion to gluten, but that's not all it's good for. Ground from short-grain glutinous rice -- the same used for sushi -- sweet rice flour makes cookies crispier, thickens soups and sauces instantly and makes delightful little Japanese rice pastries called mochis. You can buy sweet rice flour in Asian markets, where it's sold as "mochiko," or you can grind your own using a spice grinder, food processor or grain mill. Despite its name, sweet rice flour isn't sweet, but has a milky flavor, so you can use it in both savory and sweet dishes.

Things You'll Need

Fine-mesh sieve
Rimmed baking sheets

Grain mill, coffee or spice grinder or food processor
Flour sifter

Instructions

Rinse the rice for a minute or two, and pour it in a bowl. Cover the rice with a couple inches of water and let it soak for 2 or 3 hours.

It seems counter-intuitive to soak rice you will grind into flour, but it isn't. Water expands the starch granules and gives them more surface area, so you end up with more rice flour after you soak the grains than if you hadn't.
Drain the rice in a sieve over the sink for about 30 minutes. Pour the rice in an even layer on rimmed baking sheets lined with a few layers of paper towels.
Let the rice air dry for about 4 or 5 hours, depending on the humidity in the room. sunlight.
Pour the rice in the hopper of a grain mill, a coffee or spice grinder or a food processor fitted with a milling blade. Never fill a food processor or spice grinder more than half full.
Grind the rice until it reaches a fine texture if you plan on using the flour as a thickener or for pastries; grind it to a slightly coarser texture if using it for bread. Electric mills have pastry and bread settings. Use the highest speed and judge the texture visually and by feeling it when using a spice grinder or food processor.
Sift the rice flour into a bowl using a flour sifter. Return any grains that didn't make it through to the grinder, and process them again.
Store the rice flour in an airtight storage container up to 3 months in a cool, dry place.

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