Bread with Millet
Millet is a grain that has been cultivated in East Asia for about 10 000 years. It is widely grown all over the world for both human and animal consumption. There are about ten different varieties of millet, some of which are also called sorghum. Millet has no gluten and so is ideal for coeliacs (those with gluten allergies), is high in protein so is ideal for vegegarians and vegans, and is “alkalising” which means it balances the acidity of diet that is low in fruit and vegetables and high in simple carbohydrates and meat protein.
Ingredients
- 300 g Whole meal flour
- 200 g Millet flour
- 800-900 g Water Surprised? I was. Millet is hugely absorbent.
- 3 g Dry yeast 1.5 grams instant yeast or 6 grams fresh yeast
- 10 g Salt
Instructions
- Proof the yeast in the usual way and add in the flours. Pour in the water and begin to knead. It’s a sticky job because the millet does not stretch out like wheat flour and it absorbs a huge amount of water. Knead for 15 minutes or so and then let rest 1 hour. Shape and let rest 45 minutes. Bake at 200 C for 45 minutes. I thought I would make one big loaf and I ended up making two.
- For the spectacular recipe I thought I would dial down the flour flavour to enable the millet to shine through. I also thought about how I had cooked millet before: dry fried and then boiled and added to a salad; dry fried and then boiled and eaten as a salad (kind of like tabouli); made into porridge with butter and honey and cinnamon and raisins…I did this to think about how I might gussie up the bread and make it super tasty. I decided on adding grated nutmeg and honey to the dough and making it a sourdough to add an acidity to bring out the millet flavour as well. The virdict (three people tried it, one of whom was my armenian taxi driver – don’t ask): sensational.
