Gluten-Free Rice Flatbread
A cup of leftover cooked rice, blended smooth with water, a spoon of olive oil, and salt, fries into soft, puffy little flatbreads — no flour, no egg, no milk, nothing to knead and nothing to rise. The blender does the work; the hot pan does the rest. Make them when the rice cooker holds more than dinner needed, and use them anywhere a wrap, a scoop, or a piece of warm bread belongs.
In the Test Kitchen: not yet test-made in my kitchen.
- 1 cup cooked white rice 185 g; warm or at room temperature; leftover rice works well
- 3/4 cup water 180 ml, plus more by the spoonful as needed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil 15 ml, plus more for the pan
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt about 3 g
- Put the rice, water, olive oil, and salt in a blender and blend a full minute. Scrape the sides down and blend again until the batter pours like thin pancake batter with no rice grains left. Cold, firm leftover rice may need another spoonful or two of water — add it a little at a time. Rest the batter 5 minutes; it thickens slightly as it sits.
- Set a nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and let it get thoroughly hot. Brush in olive oil until it shimmers. The heat is the whole trick here: a lukewarm pan glues this batter down, and a hot one lets it set and release.
- Pour in about 1/3 cup of batter and spread it thin and round with the back of a spoon or ladle, working in a spiral from the center out.
- Cook until the top looks set, the edges look dry, and the underside turns golden, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. The flatbread lets go of the pan on its own when it is ready — slide a thin spatula under an edge to check, and do not pry it early or it will tear.
- Flip once and cook 30 to 60 seconds more, until the second side freckles golden and the bread puffs a little in spots.
- Move the finished flatbread to a plate and repeat with the rest of the batter, brushing the pan with oil between breads. Serve warm.
If a flatbread sticks, the pan was not hot enough or the flip came too early — give the next one more heat and more patience, and it will release clean and whole.
Too thick to spread? Whisk in water a teaspoon at a time. Tearing when you spread? The batter is a touch too thin; let it rest another few minutes.
Serve these anywhere warm bread belongs: wrapped around eggs at breakfast, scooping up a stew or a saucy skillet dinner, or torn and dipped in olive oil and salt.
Leftovers keep 2 days in the refrigerator in a sealed bag. Reheat them in a dry hot pan for 30 seconds a side — they soften right back up. They do not love the microwave, which makes them chewy.
This recipe is not yet test-made in my kitchen.
Too thick to spread? Whisk in water a teaspoon at a time. Tearing when you spread? The batter is a touch too thin; let it rest another few minutes.
Serve these anywhere warm bread belongs: wrapped around eggs at breakfast, scooping up a stew or a saucy skillet dinner, or torn and dipped in olive oil and salt.
Leftovers keep 2 days in the refrigerator in a sealed bag. Reheat them in a dry hot pan for 30 seconds a side — they soften right back up. They do not love the microwave, which makes them chewy.
This recipe is not yet test-made in my kitchen.
Nutrition Facts
Gluten-Free Rice Flatbread
Amount per Serving
Calories
104.3
% Daily Value*
Sodium
0.5
mg
0
%
Protein
1.2
g
2
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.