By studying and modifying proteins in the rice flour family, the researchers were able to produce dough and bread of superior quality than that obtained from 'normal' rice flour.
"This rice flour serves not only as an alternative to wheat flour for those with wheat intolerance, but could also help to overcome the global food problem in the future," said Dr Yayoi Onda at Yamagata University, Japan, one of the researchers behind the study.
Rice flour does not typically work as efficiently in bread making as wheat flour. In order to overcome this problem, the researchers changed the amount, structures and properties of seed storage proteins, 'phys.Org' reported.
"This improved the quality and efficiency of the dough and the bread," said Onda.
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The new rice flour overcomes many of the issues associated with previous rice flour, researchers said.
For instance, the dough is more easily stretched and less sticky, it holds bubbles inside during fermentation and baking, it keeps its shape and structure as it inflates, and the bread has a more elastic texture after baking.