Bret Wright, age 10, of Columbus, Ohio, for his question:

CAN BREAD BE MADE FROM RICE FLOUR?

Rice is one of the world's most important foods. It is a cereal grain that about half of the world's population lives on almost entirely. However, rice cannot be used for bread baking because it doesn't contain very much gluten, a material that is necessary to hold bread dough together.

Some rice is ground into flour, however. The Oriental people often use the flour to make small flat cakes.

About 80 percent of rice is starch, with 12 percent water and 8 percent protein.

Did you know that the wild rice grown in the shallow waters of lakes in parts of the northern United States and southern Canada is only distantly related to the cultivated rice? It has black grains and is a gourmet dish with many people. Wild rice was a favorite food in the diets of many American Indians.

Cooked wild rice is often used to make delicious muffins.