Not only does this method produce perfectly tender brown rice every time, but you don’t have to keep an eye on it either.
Jill Nystul·May 16, 2023
Cooking Brown Rice In An Oven Is Unbelievably Easy
When I originally encountered the idea of baking brown rice in an oven rather than cooking it on a stovetop, I was eager to give it a try! It turned out perfectly, and not just the first time either — this oven brown rice method produced perfectly cooked brown rice time after time, which is why I’ve taken to calling it “foolproof!”
Before I learned about the oven method, I didn’t make brown rice very often — but not because I didn’t like eating it! It just takes longer to cook brown rice compared to white rice, and I didn’t love having to keep an eye on a pot for an hour to make sure it didn’t boil over or run dry!
Luckily, there are no such issues when you bake brown rice in an oven. The rice comes out fluffy and tender, and you get consistent results every time. This method makes it easy to enjoy the benefits of incorporating more brown rice into your diet (and I’ll tell you about some of those benefits later in this post!)
Related:Add This One Ingredient To Make The Best Rice Ever
Spread rice out in an even later in the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish, then top the rice with 4 pats (teaspoons) of butter.
Bring the water to boil in a saucepan, your microwave, or in a kettle, then stir in the salt.
Pour the salted water over the rice in the baking dish, then cover the dish tightly with a double layer of aluminum foil
Bake at 375°F for 1 hour, or until the rice is tender. After an hour, remove the baking dish from your oven, remove the foil, and fluff the rice with a fork. Re-cover the baking dish with the foil and let it stand at room temperature for 10 more minutes before serving.
Brown rice contains more nutrients than white rice because only its outermost layer, or hull, is removed during processing. White rice, on the other hand, is stripped of several of its outer layers in to reveal the white color beneath.
Brown rice contains more than 80% of the recommended daily value of manganese, a coenzyme that aids in metabolizing carbs and protein, and that helps keeps your immune and reproductive systems in good working order.
The fiber in brown rice helps you feel full, thereby decreasing your chances of overeating.
The fiber and selenium found in brown rice may also have a protective effect against certain types of cancer, which is never a bad thing!
Whole grains like brown rice can help lower bad cholesterol.
There you have it: five good reasons to incorporate more brown rice into your diet. And there’s simply no easier way to cook brown rice than by baking it!
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Do you prefer brown rice or white rice?
Foolproof Oven-Baked Brown Rice Recipe
Jill Nystul
I love how easy this recipe is, and that it produces perfect brown rice every time!
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutesmins
Cook Time 1 hourhr
Rest Time 10 minutesmins
Total Time 1 hourhr15 minutesmins
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6
Calories 368kcal
Ingredients
3cupsbrown rice
4 2/3cupswater
4teaspoonsbutter
1teaspoonsalt
Instructions
Spread rice in a 9×13" baking dish and top the rice with 4 pats (teaspoons) of butter.
Bring water to boil, remove from heat, stir in salt and pour over rice.
Cover baking dish tightly with a double layer of foil. Bake for 1 hour at 375°F, or until tender.
Remove baking dish from oven and uncover. Fluff rice with fork, then re-cover and let stand for 10 more minutes before serving.
Bring the rice to a simmer in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook, covered, until rice is tender and water has evaporated, 40–45 minutes.
Ginger and garlic both make for exceptional brown rice. If you're going the spice route we love turmeric, cumin, oregano, and smoked paprika with brown rice. Try adding some of these spices to the pot as you cook your aromatic vegetables. Cook in a flavorful liquid.
To cook brown rice on the stovetop, a good rule of thumb is to follow a 2 to 1 ratio of water to rice; so, for 1 cup of rice, you would use 2 cups of liquid. When in doubt, check the package directions for the optimal ratio for short-, medium-, and long-grain.
Do not uncover the pot to check the rice during cooking. Check the rice. Uncover and check to see if all the water has been absorbed; a little water on the very bottom is fine, but if there's more than a tablespoon, drain off the excess. At this point, the rice should also be chewy and tender, and no longer crunchy.
If the heat is too high, the water evaporates before the rice has a chance to fully cook. If you don't add enough water, the rice ends up dry and crunchy. And if you don't cook the rice long enough, it gets soft on the outside but doesn't cook through.
If they're not washed away, they will cause the rice to clump and become gummy as it cooks. Our goal is to make perfectly fluffy brown rice, so don't skip this step! I like to rinse mine in a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl until the water in the bowl runs clear.
Soaking is optional, but we recommend it! Soaking grains helps to remove some of the naturally-occurring phytic acid in the grain, which helps improve digestibility and speed cook time. To soak: Add rice to a large mixing bowl or pot and cover with twice the amount of lukewarm water (1 cup rice + 2-3 cups water).
Brown rice is a whole grain that still has the hull, the bran layer and the germ intact, allowing it to have high levels of fiber and other nutrients. White rice, on the other hand, does not have any of the aforementioned, which makes it less nutrient-dense, although enriched rice has more of certain nutrients.
Rice has a very neutral flavor, so almost any savory sauce will go well. Whether it's made of tomatoes, a curry, cheesey sauce, mexican, or just butter with salt and pepper. Whatever sauce is in the accompanying vegetables, meat, soup, chili, or stew will go very well with the rice. Even ketchup or spaghetti sauce.
The texture is toothsome, but also quite soft, and the taste is fresh and clean. It has the notably grassy, nutty flavor we expect from brown rice, although maybe not as much as a true basmati rice. This rice would be great as a side, or you could make it a whole meal as a rice bowl.
One cup uncooked long grain brown rice yields about 3 cups cooked rice. It can be eaten plain, used as a base for stir-fries, or as an ingredient in pilafs, soups, casseroles, salads, and desserts.
The key to success every time is to use the right amount of water to rice – for brown rice you'll need double the amount of water to rice. You should also give it enough time to absorb the water. Most packs of brown rice will say to boil for longer than white rice, so for around 30-35 mins.
The bran is what gives the rice its brown color, and it contains nutrients that plain white rice doesn't, since processing white rice is mainly a matter of stripping off the bran. This outer layer is what makes brown rice cook more slowly.
Brown rice has a richer flavor and a chewier texture than white rice. It also takes longer to cook. Brown rice is much higher in nutrients than white rice.
The hull, germ, and bran have been removed from white rice. That makes it cook pretty fast—as little as 15 minutes. But brown rice can take up to 45 minutes to cook. That's the other big difference.
Transfer rice to rice cooker. Add 2 cups water for every 1 cup brown rice. Cook 50 minutes or until rice is fluffy and tender. Let stand for another 10 minutes before serving.
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Introduction: My name is Duncan Muller, I am a enchanting, good, gentle, modern, tasty, nice, elegant person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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