She’s alive!!!
I hope you guys are still out there.
So I’ve been super MIA for the past few weeks! Many apologies to you, but I promise it is not without good excuse. I’ve been traveling like a mad women – for work and for play. And my time actually in NYC has been devoted to apartment hunting. For my non-New-York friends, let me tell you that this is a job in and of itself. I adore this city, but looking for a home here is like nothing you will ever experience. Very stressful and exhausting and you have to act FAST or your potential digs will be snatched up in the blink of an eye!
Great news though! I found my new place and signed the lease on Friday. West Village here I come! Could not be more thrilled. Imagine walking out of your building to this…
Le sigh. So quintessential West Village.
Alright, enough about me and my obsession with my new hood. Let’s talk about brown rice flour!
BRF is ground from brown rice kernels. Duh. The grains are harvested and then dried so they can be processed in the mill. Most mills make their BRF with a coarse grind, so the flour is slightly grainy and gritty. You can feel the difference between BRF and whole wheat just by grabbing a handful of each and letting them slip between your fingers. Try it!
You’ll get a mild, nutty flavor to your baked goodies when using BRF. It’s also high in fiber, vitamins and minerals. Love it.
BRF is entirely gluten-free. Because of this, it does not behave exactly like wheat, so bakers like us should be ready to experiment with proportions and grain mixtures. Now, I’m not an expert whatsoever in baking with this ingredient, so here’s where I ask for your help!
Do you guys have any brown rice flour baking tips for me? I’ve heard about adding gums – xanthan or guar – but have no clue how to do it or if I really have to! Tell me what I need to know!
Congratulations on signing the lease!!!! Whoo hoo!!!
Haven’t quite started the gluten-free baking yet. You should head over to Karina’s Kitchen. I’m sure she’s got an answer for you somewhere on her blog. And yeah, apt. hunting in NYC is ridiculous! Congrats on finding a place in the West Village!
Your new place looks fabulous! Congrats!
Never used brown rice flour. I will let you know if I do.
And I completely understand the craziness of finding a NY apartment. Everything else takes a back seat. Looks like you found a lovely neighborhood.
Congrats! I love NYC!
just you wait. come fall I’ll have so many corn-flour baked goods I’ll be begging you to take them off my hands. it’s a real problem. I cant stop making corn bread the second a chill in the air hits!
so glad to have met you!
oh and my fave use of brown flour is to make baked onion rings. random, I know. email me for the recipe.
Hey! I’m a fellow NYCer, so I understand what you had to go through in apartment hunting. I’m glad you found such a cute place!
SO jealous of your new digs! Your Super Charge Me cookies were off the hook, btw – thanks so much for bringing them last night! …did they have brown rice flour in them?
Congrats on the new pad!!! =)
Havent tried cooking with BRF yet too scared…
I have Xanthum gum that I used in gluten free brownies though. They were…’eh’…
honestly, your new hood COULDNT be cuter. i had so much fun the other night, you better be ready for many a blogger get togethers…hopefully the toilet will hold up better at your apt.
im going to have to get E, D & BV for the super charge me recipe bc your cookies were SO SO good
Glad you’re still there!
And I am 100% jealous of your new place! Congratulations!!
Hi Ashely! I LOVE your website – youre recipes are so awesome and I also totally loved the flour comparrison thing you did with the muffins. That is exactly the sort of thing I would like to do, but (theoretically at least!) dont have the time. Anyway, I was actually wondering if I could be the cheekiest person ever and set you a sort of challenge… to find a recipe which creates a ‘Nana’ esque cookie! Do you know the ones I mean (I feel you must)…? They are refined sugar free vegan cookies – which also come in wheat and gluten free, but dont worry about that for now
- and they are AMAZING. They are so incredibly hearty, tasty and totally dont seem to even raise my blood sugar at all – they actually leave me feeling calmer! Unfortunately they are also pretty astounding in price – especially if you live in the UK and have to buy them imported – UGH! I LOVE them so much but I seriously dont earn enough to feed my fetish – is there any way you can help out? Before I have to start stealing them and end up in Jail 
– I’d owe you bigtime! Once again love the website! Big Love Emmy
I’ve missed you, Ashley! Congrats on the new digs – the view looks pretty sensational
I hear you’re coming over Labor Day – I’m going to be visiting my fam in AZ
How long will you be here? We have to make it work somehow – I’m determined!
I use guar gum with my brown rice flour. I have also found in any gluten-free baking that it is helpful to mix up the flours. Where a recipe calls for one cup I usually do half brown rice and have buckwheat, sorghum, chickpea or quinoa. Using 1/3 of three also works well.
Thanks all for your words of congrats! I’m super excited.
Emmy – Of course I know the cookies you’re referring to! They are indeed delish. I will definitely keep your challenge in mind – and feel so flattered that you thought to challenge me! – but will be honest with you and say that I don’t have a lot of free time to devote to cookie replication! In the meantime, may I suggest you check out my Maple Almond Butter Cookies? They sort of remind me of Nana’s in terms of denseness and chewiness. Make them extra big or throw in some chocolate chips to add a special touch.
http://sweetandnatural.wordpress.com/2009/02/24/maple-almond-butter-cookies/
Jenn – Check your e-mail!
Meghan Telpner – Thanks for the tips!
Hi there! just stopping in to say thanks for your blog! I’m new to the blogging world but so pleasantly surprised to see what a wonderful community of people comes together here! I love you work and will look forward to reading more — keep it up, and drop by sometime to let me know what’s up! Be well and take care, Lucca.
Congrats on the West Village apt!! So exciting! I just found your bloggie and love it! Can’t wait to keep reading!
Sarah
Hi Ashley! I am also an Ashley =) I just stumbled on your blog and love it. The brownies at the top look UHmazing. I am a LOVER of sucanat =) I just made an awesome pumpkin bread tonight using sucanat as the sweetener..so good! I haven’t used brown rice flour for anything yet, but I have used brown rice syrup in a few baked goods recipes. It’s a great sweetener because it keeps your glycemic index level from spiking unlike other sugars, honey, maple syrup, etc. Give it a try sometime if you haven’t yet! Take care!