Everything You Need to Know about Rice Flour

Posted on May 14, 2022 by Zojirushi America Corporation

Rice is by far one of the most versatile foods on the planet, feeding over half of the world every day. But did you know that when it’s ground into a fine powder, rice is a gluten-free, silky smooth, and nutrient-rich flour alternative for home bakers? It’s easy to make, easy to use, and easy to incorporate into your favorite Zojirushi breadmaker recipes. Let us show you why.

What is Rice Flour?

Simply put, rice flour is a fine flour made by grinding rice grains of all types. You can buy pre-ground rice flour at the store but grinding rice flour at home gives you more room to experiment with different rice varieties and to find the taste and texture you love most.

Different types of rice flour include:

Glutinous rice flour
Brown rice flour
Black rice flour
White rice flour
Wet-milled rice flour: You can also differentiate your rice flour by determining how it was milled. Rice flour can be made from dry rice grains, or alternatively, wet rice grains that were soaked in water prior to milling. Wet-milled rice is a traditional Korean milling technique and a more expensive process for making rice flour which is almost always stored frozen. Some people prefer wet-milled rice flour for making moist foods, like Korean tteok or Korean rice cakes.

You can easily make rice flour at home in a grain mill, blender, coffee grinder, or even food processor. If you plan on making your own rice flour, make sure to start with small amounts so that the rice can blend into a finer powder consistency. Adding too much rice at once can result in large chunks or an uneven consistency. The finer your rice flour, the better it will be for baking.

Brown rice vs. white rice: Different types of rice will result in different flavors, which adds to the beauty of baking with rice flours. White rice tends to be the most neutral tasting, but brown rice flour will have a more earthy taste. Brown rice also has a higher source of fiber, so it can be easier to digest.

After you’ve made your homemade rice flour, make sure to label and date it and store in in the fridge or freezer for up to a year.

What are the benefits of Rice Flour?

You might be wondering, is rice flour healthy? The short answer is yes! Rice flour made from white or brown rice is naturally gluten-free and a great alternative for anyone with celiac disease or gluten sensitivities. It’s also low in sodium, cholesterol, and saturated fat, and because it is enriched with vitamins and minerals, it gives you more nutritional bang for your buck. Because rice has high amounts of fiber, it’s easy on the stomach as well. Lastly, rice is also affordable and has a long shelf life, so you don’t have to worry about your rice flour going bad anytime soon.

Our Favorite Zojirushi Rice Flour Recipes

Now that you’ve learned all you need to know about rice flour, are you ready to start baking? Here are some of our top rice flour recipe recommendations that you can make in your Zojirushi breadmaker for a sweet or savory snack the whole family will enjoy.

You can make any of these below recipes using the “gluten free course” on your Zojirushi Breadmaker or using the Home Made feature on the Home Bakery Supreme® Breadmaker BB-CEC20. For our friends with the Home Bakery Mini BB-HAC10, find gluten free recipes in the instruction manual or try the Butter Mochi recipe below.

Gluten Free Brown Rice Bread: In this recipe, we mix brown rice flour with eggs to add flavor, protein, and moisture to the bread. Potato starch and xanthan gum are used to replace the gluten. Perfect for sandwiches, toast, or your favorite jams and butters.

Butter Mochi: A savory dessert that uses sweet rice flour for a soft and chewy cake. You may see these around Hawaii, where it’s a local gluten-free favorite.

Gluten & Guilt Free Donuts: Fluffy and delicious, you won’t notice the difference with regular donuts. These sweet treats are best enjoyed with a cup of coffee and sharing with friends and family.

For more rice flour or gluten-free bread recipes, visit our breadmaker recipe page on our website.

Do you have any special rice flour recipes or tips to share with us? Let us know on social media by tagging your photos on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram! #Zojirushi #ZoFan

Bake it Your Way with Zojirushi’s Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus BB-PDC20

Posted on July 3, 2021 by Zojirushi America Corporation

One of our favorite things to do in the summer is spending time with our loved ones while enjoying freshly baked goods. We are excited to share more about our Product of the Month, the Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus (BB-PDC20) because as the name implies, you can access all your favorite baked goods from the comfort of your own home.

With just one appliance, you can make many delish treats, including various loaves, doughs, cakes, and even noodles and jams. Plus, you can enjoy various types of breads using the different settings such as white, wheat, multi-grain, gluten-free, and vegan — just to name a few. With this breadmaker, becoming a pro-baker is just a press of a button away. Keep reading to learn more about what makes our product of the month so special.

Meet Your Personal Baker

This Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus (BB-PDC20) is a versatile appliance that comes with many different features and an expanded healthy menu course options that include: Multigrain, Whole Wheat, Rapid Whole Wheat, Gluten Free, Salt Free, Sugar Free and Vegan.

This breadmaker was built with functionality and design in mind. The dual heaters on the bottom and top lid of the breadmaker promote even baking and browning. The double kneading blades knead the dough with superior results and are removable for easy cleaning. The baking pan is nonstick coated, making it easy to wash and maintain, and the large LCD display makes navigating the menu a simple task, even when making complicated baked goods.

Not all baked goods are created equal. The breadmaker was designed to take your individual preferences into consideration, it allows you to control how dark you’d like your crust (light, medium, dark). Additionally, aside from preset functions, you can also save up to three customizable memory settings for your own special recipes.

The appliance makes 2-pound loaves with ease, and with the rapid course functions, you will be able to bake a loaf of White or Whole Wheat bread in only 2 hours and 25 minutes. While the European setting bakes light and savory breads.

Each Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus (BB-PDC20) comes with a liquid measuring cup, nested measuring cups, a measuring spoon, and a full-color recipe book with fifty delicious baking ideas. Our website has additional recipe ideas for the curious baker, along with helpful instructional videos should you need help setting up or using your appliance.

Home Baking Your Way

Now that we’ve gotten to know the Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus Breakmaker a little better, let’s talk about some fun recipe ideas you can try for this summer.

This breadmaker will be the perfect all-in-one baking companion that the whole family can enjoy, from making bread and spreads for outdoor picnics, delicious sandwich breads for your on-the-go adventures, to DIY pizza nights for fun family nights in. Here are some of our favorite recipes:

Bacon Pain d’Epi with Coffee Spread

Show your talented baking skills off at your next summer gathering with this decadent bacon and coffee-filled artisan bread. Not only is it nice to look at and delicious to eat, but it is a super fun activity for kids learning to roll and weave dough!

The dough requires only water, lemon juice, flour, salt, and yeast, and pressing the “DOUGH” button on the breadmaker and it will do the rest of the work for you. Keep in mind, yeast is a living organism. For it to make your bread fluffy, it’s important to use fresh ingredients (not only the yeast but everything else). Once opened, try to use the yeast up as quickly as possible, and refrigerate anything left over to maintain freshness.

Don’t forget to let the bread cool before you enjoy!

Gluten Free Green Tea Bread and Mango Jam

You can truly get creative while sticking to your dietary preferences with the Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus. This Green Tea Bread is a great gluten-free option that has a tiny hint of sweetness with a subtle note of delight from the green tea. Select the “GLUTEN FREE” setting on the breadmaker, set the crust control to your preference, press START, and Voila!

Zo Tip: As you’re making loaves in the breadmaker, there may be times that the bread might get a little stuck in the bread pan. Try gently wiggling the wing nuts under the pan. This will move the kneading blades slightly, releasing them from the bread. Don’t forget to wear oven mitts and not turn the wingnuts too much though, or you might get a big hole in your bread!

Did you know, you can also make Mango Jam in your breadmaker? Our exotic mango jam recipe is dense with a unique texture, packed with a powerful tropic flavor that will pair perfectly with any bread, pancake, scone, or yogurt. It is perfect for lunches, snacks, picnics, or to accompany your breakfast spread!

Gluten Free Smoked Salmon Salad Pizza

Feeling more confident with your home bakery and ready to take it to the next level? This gluten-free smoked salmon pizza has a soft and crispy crust, with healthy and tasty ingredients such as brown rice flour and olive oil. Remember, using a measuring cup to measure dry ingredients will always cause variations in weight, which is not ideal. All of Zojirushi’s recipes will include weight measurements for all ingredients. Using a digital scale will ensure accurate measurements, but it’s also convenient because you don’t have to worry about remembering how many cups of flour you put in the pan.

How did your home baking creations come out? What do you love most about the Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus (BB-PDC20)? Let us know by tagging your photos on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram! #Zojirushi

Common Bread Baking Problems

Posted on March 25, 2020 by Zojirushi America Corporation

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You’ve bought the best breadmaker, and you’ve got great bread making recipes. But it’s just not working out! We understand the frustration of your loaf not quite being picture perfect! Don’t worry, we can help! Let’s first make sure our ingredients are fresh, then explore some common bread baking problems, and the steps that can be taken to correct them.

Bread Baking Problems and Solutions

Collapsed or Sunken Loaf (Rising and Falling)

Cause: too much yeast, sugar or water, too little salt, or high altitude.

Here’s what you can try doing to improve your loaf: Reduce your yeast by 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon to start with, and using cold water. If you see an improvement but it’s still not quite there, continue to reduce incrementally. Alternatively, you could try increasing salt, or decreasing your sugar or water.

Short, Dense, and/or Dark Loaf

Cause: typical of too much flour (or other dry ingredients) or not enough liquid; less often a result of too little yeast, too little sugar, too much salt, or old ingredients.

Here’s what you can try doing to improve your loaf: Reduce your flour* or increasing your liquids. You can always check your dough during the KNEAD cycle to make sure the texture isn’t too dry.

Lopsided Loaf

Cause: typical of too much flour (or other dry ingredients), not enough liquid, or recipe size is too small

Here’s what you can try doing to improve your loaf: Reducing your flour* or increasing your liquids. If you’re using your own recipe, you may need to increase the recipe size. The minimum loaf size for our 2 pound bread machines is 1 1/2 pounds (BB-CEC20 and BB-PAC20), and 1 pound for our 1 pound machine (BB-HAC10).

Lumpy Loaf

Cause: Typical of too much flour (or other dry ingredients) or not enough liquid

Here’s what you can try doing to improve your loaf: Reducing your flour* or increasing your liquids. Check the dough during the KNEAD cycle—if it appears knotty or lumpy, you can add a tablespoon of water at a time until a nice, round ball of dough forms.

Unmixed Ingredients

Cause: The kneading blades were not installed properly, or kneading blades have worn out.

Here’s what you can try doing to improve your loaf: Installing kneading blades before adding ingredients to the baking pan. If you suspect they have worn out, take the baking pan out of the bread machine and place the kneading blades on the metal shafts. Then, try turning the blades with your finger. Do they catch the shafts and make them rotate? If one or both doesn’t, it’s time to replace them.

Add Ingredients Didn’t Mix

Cause: Typical of too much flour (or other dry ingredients) or not enough liquid.

Here’s what you can try doing to improve your loaf: Reducing your flour* or increasing your liquid. When the dough is too dry, add ingredients like nuts and raisins cannot penetrate the dough ball.

*The weight of a cup of flour can fluctuate significantly depending upon how the flour is measured. Using the measuring cup as a scooper, or pouring flour into the measuring cup will result in more of the ingredient being used than our recipes call for. You can reduce your flour using one of two methods:

Volumetrically: Fluff your flour with a fork or a whisk to loosen it; then, spoon it into your nested measuring cups, and level off without tapping or shaking.
By weight: Weigh your flour with a digital kitchen scale (128g/4.51oz per cup for bread flour; 120g/4.23 oz for whole wheat flour, and 125g/4.41oz for all purpose). This method yields the most consistent and optimal results, and conveniently cuts out the guesswork.

Still having trouble, or don’t see your baking problem listed here? Please contact our customer service team for assistance or give us a message on our Facebook.

Product Inspirations –
Home Bakery Maestro® Breadmaker (BB-SSC10)

Posted on May 13, 2019 by Zojirushi America Corporation

Our Home Bakery Maestro® Breadmaker has so much to love – it’s a small powerhouse that makes hugely satisfying breads, doughs, cakes, and jams!

This breadmaker is compact and comes in a modern white design. It has a small footprint, about the size of a letter-sized paper, taking up minimal counter space, and makes 1-pound loaves, perfect for smaller families. The Maestro features a wide selection of 15 course settings, which control the kneading, rising, and baking functions based on the type of bread, dough, cake, or jam to be made.

Ten of the fifteen course settings are for baking bread, including traditional loaves like White, Whole Wheat, and European, as well as settings for Quick White and Quick Whole Wheat. Along with the traditional course settings, the Maestro offers healthy settings for Multigrain, Gluten Free, Salt Free, Sugar Free, and Vegan breads.

The Maestro comes with special course settings for doughs, cake, and jam too. The Bread/Pizza Dough setting is great for producing things like Whole Wheat Pizza Dough and Naan bread, while the Pasta Dough course setting lets you make homemade pastas like Spinach Pasta. Quick cake breads like our scrumptious Lemon Loaf are easy with the Cake setting and our unique Jam setting lets you make fruit preserves without constant stirring over the stove.

While these course settings are all amazing, we really, truly love our Homemade setting! This course setting allows you to store up to three custom programs, so you can control the knead, rise, and bake times per recipe! We’ve even come up with a recipe that we had to call our Meatloaf Miracle, because it was made in the breadmaker using a Homemade course. (Check it out in the recipe booklet that comes with the breadmaker!)

Our Home Bakery Maestro® Breadmaker can make all of these recipes because of its smart features. It uses a removable, nonstick coated Baking Pan to hold the ingredients, and mixes them with a single Kneading Blade, which is secured into the Baking Pan on a sturdy, rotating shaft. It also utilizes double heaters built into the bottom of the breadmaker to rapidly heat the interior of the Baking Pan so that breads are springy, light, airy, and have gorgeous crusts. It also has a new, distinctive feature – the Auto-Add Dispenser. Instead of requiring you to keep track of when to add ingredients such as dried fruit, nuts, and seeds during the knead cycle, the Auto Add Dispenser holds these ingredients and works with the breadmaker’s intelligent microcomputer to add them to the dough at the right time during making. The easy-to-read LCD control panel accesses the brains of the machine and lets you choose the course setting as well as select the crust color. It also allows you to set an optional 13-hour delay timer.

In true Zojirushi tradition, the pan, along with all surfaces that come into contact with food, are BPA-free and cleaning is simple. The Baking Pan, Kneading Blade, and Auto-Add Dispenser pieces are all removable and hand-washable.

Accessories include a full color recipe booklet with 50 delicious recipes, liquid measuring cup, and measuring spoon.

The recipe booklet has amazing recipes, and you can find more on the special website we’ve dedicated to this amazing little bread maker. Check out recipes like Party Bread and Matcha Swirl Bread. Best of all, we’ve loaded eight how-to videos to help you perfect your bread and dough making skills!

If you’re already an owner of the Home Bakery Maestro® Breadmaker, share your favorite creations with us below. And if not…get one now!

Product Inspirations – Home Bakery Virtuoso® Plus Breadmaker (BB-PDC20)-November 2018

Posted on November 13, 2018 by Zojirushi America Corporation

Crisp, cold, fall air. Shorter days. Holidays with family. November is such a wonderful time of year for baking! Our new flagship breadmaker—the Home Bakery Virtuoso® Plus (BB-PDC20)—brings all of the warm, comforting scents and delicious recipes into your home.

We’ve designed this full-capacity breadmaker to help any baker, from novice to advanced, make delicious breads, doughs, cakes, jams and even sourdough starter with ease and expertise.

The Home Bakery Virtuoso® Plus comes with nine pre-programmed course settings to bake breads ranging from classic White and European breads, to healthy options such as Whole Wheat, Multigrain, Gluten Free, Salt Free, Sugar Free and Vegan breads. Each course setting alters the kneading, rising and baking functions based on the type of bread to be made, and select courses allow you to control the crust from Light, Medium to Dark, so you can customize each loaf to your liking. In addition, this machine also comes with four additional courses for Dough, Sourdough Starter, Cake and Jam, making the breadmaker even more versatile.

Along with the pre-programmed course settings, the Home Bakery Virtuoso® Plus comes with a special Homemade course that allows you to input up to three of your own custom settings and store your own knead, rise, and bake times. These settings can be stored and used repeatedly, just like the pre-programmed courses, offering an easy way to consistently use your own tried-and-true recipes.

The simplified LCD control panel and convenient key code make it simple to choose the course setting as well as select the crust color and set the optional 13-hour delay timer.

The breadmaker has also been designed with superior features, including an additional heating element in the lid, which promotes even baking and browning and a removable, nonstick coated baking pan to hold all ingredients. The baking pan uses dual kneading blades to thoroughly mix ingredients for the best results. Both the pan and blades are easy to clean, and along with all surfaces that come into contact with food, are BPA-free.

Accessories include a full color recipe booklet with 50 delicious recipes, nested measuring cups for dry ingredients, a liquid measuring cup and a measuring spoon.

The included recipe booklet has amazing recipes for the season. The Cranberry & Walnut Bread is deliciously full of sweet-tart cranberries and crunchy walnuts. Our classic Pumpernickel uses coffee and a mix of wonderful whole wheat flour, rye flour and cornmeal. And the Rustic Herb Bread, a gorgeous European-style bread, pairs beautifully with seasonal soups and stews. This breadmaker will definitely come in handy when preparing for the holidays. Butter Rolls complete any festive meal, and Tea Cake served with a variety of teas and coffees add charm to any gathering. All of these are in the recipe booklet, along with so many others!

We hope you love these recipes and share the ones that you create in your own kitchen with us!