Rice Flour: The Non-Stick Shield

Role: The Insulator
Function: Adhesion Prevention
Spec: Oryza sativa (Gluten-Free) 

Rice flour is the one flour in your arsenal that should never go inside your wheat dough (unless you are baking gluten-free). Its role is purely external. It is the mechanic’s glove.

The Chemistry: No Gluten, No Bond

Wheat flour contains gluten proteins. When you use wheat flour to dust your banneton (proofing basket), the moisture from the dough hydrates that flour, and it bonds with the loaf.

• The Disaster: When you try to turn the loaf out, it sticks, tearing the skin and ruining the shape.

Rice flour has no gluten. It creates a physical barrier of inert starch that refuses to bond with the wheat proteins.

The Interaction: Thermal Resistance

Rice flour has a high scorch point. Unlike wheat flour, which burns black quickly in a 250°C oven, rice flour tends to stay white or pale yellow.

• Aesthetics: This creates the high-contrast "artisan" look—white rings of flour against a dark, caramelised crust.

The Protocol: Dust Heavy

• The Rule: Use Rice Flour exclusively for dusting your bannetons and your lame (scoring blade). Do not use it for feeding your starter (unless maintaining a specific GF starter), as it lacks the gluten-forming proteins needed for structure.