In many ways, switching to a gluten-free diet was easier than I thought. I can usually make gluten-free versions of my favorite foods with simple swaps like chickpea pasta, corn tortillas, tamari or gluten-free salad dressings. But sandwiches … sandwiches are tricky. Gluten-free bread has come a long way, but recipes tend to rely on a complicated mix of flours and binders like xanthan gum and psyllium husk to mimic the elasticity of a gluten network. I have 12 types of starches and flours in my pantry, and still haven’t found a recipe I love.
Those flours are spendy, and GF bread isn’t exactly kind on the wallet. So I was thrilled when I stumbled across a blender rice bread recipe. For starters, making bread in a blender sounds easy. I love no-knead bread, and I can clean my blender by putting soapy water in the jar and blitzing it. But the real selling point came when I realized the recipe calls for actual grains of rice, not rice flour.
But would it work? I’d already successfully tackled several GF hacks from TikTok videos, but I’d also tried ones that were a complete fail. It felt worth the risk, so I dove in with fingers crossed.
Wait, you can make bread in a blender?
Blender bread is new to me, but it’s not new. You can use a blender to create no-knead, batter-based breads with all kinds of ingredients, like flour, oats, lentils or, in this case, rice. I’ve seen several versions of blender rice bread floating around on social media, so it was difficult to pinpoint the original creator. The earliest recipes I could find are from chef George Lee (@chez_jorge), who posted a TikTok video in 2021, right around the same time that Chef Steps posted its recipe.
I experimented with several versions until I developed a recipe that really delivered. The first attempt produced a short loaf that tasted great, but didn’t really hit the sandwich vibe. The second attempt had too much batter and overflowed as it baked (oops!). The third attempt was my Goldilocks, creating a loaf that was the exact height of my 1-pound loaf pan.
Do you have to soak rice overnight for blender bread?
The key to this recipe is soaking the grains overnight. I tried really, really hard to find a way around that, but I couldn’t find a shortcut that worked.
Quick-soaking (similar to quick-soaking beans) the rice led to a horrible, sticky mess. Soaking the rice in hot water for 30 minutes turned the batter thick and and the bread unpleasantly porridge-like. I had mild success soaking the rice for only two hours, but the bread’s texture was significantly improved with a longer soak. So is it annoying to have to plan ahead and soak rice overnight? Yes. But will it make your bread better? Also, yes.
Is blender rice bread worth it?
All my experimenting was absolutely worth it. This blender rice bread recipe produces a reliable loaf with a crisp exterior and a fluffy texture. It’s slightly reminiscent of mochi, but it’s nowhere near as gummy as some gluten-free breads I’ve tried. It captures rice’s naturally sweet flavor, while the oil and salt add enough savoriness that I found myself eating slices out of hand. And, most importantly, it makes an incredible sandwich. Even my non-GF eaters agreed it was the perfect sandwich bread. Goal, accomplished!
Whether you’re on a gluten-free diet or not, this recipe really feels worth it considering the cost. When I tallied up the price of all the ingredients, it came out to $1.78 per loaf—$0.76 for the yeast, $0.86 for the rice and $0.16 for the oil, salt and sugar. That’s cheaper than a standard loaf of wheat bread, and some gluten-free loaves go for $7 at the store. And none of them taste as good as this.
How to Make Blender Rice Bread
This recipe requires only five minutes of hands-on time (plus an overnight soak for the rice, up to an hour for the batter to rise, and another 30 minutes for the bread to bake). I scaled it to fit in my 1-pound loaf pan, but you can adjust the recipe accordingly if you’re using other loaf pan sizes.
Ingredients for Blender Rice Bread
400 grams rice (I highly recommend measuring your rice, but if you don’t have a scale, this is about 2 cups)
1 cup warm water (about 100° to 110°F, so as to not kill the yeast)
1 tablespoon sugar
2-1/4 teaspoons quick-rise yeast (1 packet)*
1-3/4 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons neutral cooking oil
Sesame seeds or everything bagel seasoning, optional
* Editor’s Tip: If you prefer using active dry yeast, proof it before adding it to the blender. Combine it with the water and sugar and let it sit until it’s frothy, about five minutes.
Directions
Step 1: Soak the rice
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Place the rice in a large bowl. Cover it with 2 inches of cold water, and let it soak overnight. The next day, drain and discard the water.
Editor’s Tip: In my experiments, I found that I could reduce the soaking time to two hours if I was really in a pinch. But soaking the grains overnight was the best way to fully hydrated them, which led to the best texture in the finished bread. It’s generally considered safe to soak rice on the counter. If you live in a warm climate, it may be better to soak it in the fridge to avoid any chance of fermentation occurring.
Step 2: Blend the ingredients
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In a high-powered blender, combine the water, sugar, yeast, salt, oil, and drained, soaked rice. Blend them on high in 30-second bursts until the batter is smooth and the temperature reaches 105°F (taking the temperature ensures the bread will rise properly). Don’t have an instant-read thermometer? You can just blend the mixture until it’s smooth.
Editor’s Tip: You’ll want to use a Vitamix blender or a similarly high-powered blender. If it’s rated to grind grains into flour, it’ll work for this bread. I’m not sure that a regular blender or immersion blender would be powerful enough to pulverize the rice.
Step 3: Let the batter rise
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Spray an 8-1/2×4-1/2-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Pour in the batter, cover the pan, and let the batter rise for 30 to 60 minutes or until it just reaches the rim of the pan.
Editor’s Tip: It’s pretty chilly in my kitchen during the winter, so I proof bread in the oven. I add a small pan of boiling water to fill the oven with steam and bring the temperature up. It’s a perfect makeshift proofing box. (Except for that one time when my husband preheated the oven without looking inside first. Poor bread.)
Step 4: Bake the bread
Lindsay Mattison For Taste Of Home
Preheat the oven to 350°. Sprinkle the top of the bread with sesame seeds or everything bagel seasoning, if desired. Bake the bread for 30 to 40 minutes until it’s set and golden. Remove from the pan immediately and cool it on a wire rack.
Editor’s Tip: I’m really into my thermometer, so I always check for doneness by poking the middle of the bread. The temperature should be 205°.
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Ways to Serve Blender Rice Bread
Lindsay Mattison For Taste Of Home
Make a Spam sandwich: You can add any sandwich fillings to this bread, but Spam is my go-to with rice bread. It reminds me of spam musubi in all the best ways. I like to sear the spam in a hot skillet, then glaze it with brown sugar and soy sauce. I add it to the toasted bread along with a few asparagus spears and a scrambled egg (usually cooked like José Andrés’s microwave omelet because I’m lazy and it really does taste fantastic).
Turn it into toast: When I say I’m obsessed with toast, I don’t just mean for breakfast. Sure, this bread totally works when it’s simply slathered with butter, jam or Nutella Peanut. But it also makes a solid fancy toast. I’m talking anchovy butter with radishes, smashed avocados with heirloom tomatoes, or tahini butter with chili-crisp chickpeas. Have some fun with it!
Get creative with grilled cheese: If you ask me, there’s no such thing as too many grilled cheese recipes. This bread makes a particularly good one because it’s so fluffy and soft, which makes the insides feel even cheesier. I’m on team mayonnaise when it comes to making a perfect grilled cheese, in case you were wondering. It’s easier to spread from end-to-end, and creates a crispier, more flavorful crust. But if butter is your thing, you do you.
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