Millet bread (gluten free, vegan)
Nut free, egg free, dairy free, xanthan gum free Millet can have quite a strong taste. Keep this in mind if you have never tried millet before.*Tablespoons are in Australian tablespoons which are 20ml as opposed to the more common 15ml. Use 4 teaspoons if you are based in US, NZ, UK, Canada or Europe.
Equipment
- 23cm length X 10cm width X 10cm height (9 X 4 X 4 inch) Pullman Pan (I always use my USA Pullman pan in size small).
Ingredients
- 300 g millet flour (ideally freshly ground) see notes
- 150 g light buckwheat flour
- 150 g tapioca flour
- 25 g psyllium husk powder (see notes)
- 10-12 g fine salt (I use table salt)
- 7.5 g instant yeast
- 20ml (1 tablespoon)* maple syrup or liquid sweetener of choice
- 20ml (1 tablespoon)* neutral oil of choice
- 600-700 g water (see notes)
Instructions
- Add the dry ingredients to a large, non-reactive (glass or plastic) mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
- Whisk the maple syrup, oil and 600g of water into the dry ingredients. The mixture should look and feel almost liquid then gradually thicken to become a thin muffin batter consistency as you whisk. If your batter is as described, you have added enough liquid. If it looks considerably thicker, add 50-100g more water and whisk to incorporate.
- Cover the dough and allow to proof for 1 hour.
- Grease and line your 23cm length X 10cm width X 10cm height (9 X 4 X 4 inch) Pullman Pan (I always use my USA Pullman pan in size small). Preheat your oven to 220C/428F.
- When the dough has proofed for 1 hour, it should have a flat or slightly domed smooth top. If you run a spoon through it, the dough should be airy and light. See the section on proofing for an extensive guide to how the dough should look in each stage.
- Decant the dough into your lined Pullman pan. Use a moistened hand to smooth and flatten down the top of the loaf. Cover the loaf without touching it (I use an inverted produce bag) and set aside to proof for 1-2 hours or until it gently domes above the top of the Pullman pan.
- Once you're happy with the proof, place the loaf in the oven for 20 minutes. Check on it after 20 minutes - if it is already a golden brown, turn the oven down to 200C/400F. If it is a pale blond, continue to cook the loaf at 220C/428F for an additional 25-30 minutes.
- Once the loaf is cooked, allow it to cool in the Pullman pan for 15 or so minutes. Gently remove it from the pan and set it on a cooling rack to cool completely before slicing. Slices can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge and can also be frozen and defrosted.
Notes
- See the body of the post for extensive tips and tricks for this recipe.
- See the body of the post for how the dough should look through each stage of mixing, proofing and baking.
- See the body of the post for making this bread with a higher proportion of millet flour if you really like millet flour.
- As discussed in the body of the post, millet can be a strong flavour (to me and one half of the internet, anyway). If your loaf is bitter, it is the millet.
- I recommend grinding your own flour for this reason. It is easy to do with a NutriBullet - see the body of the post for details.
- I have always found store bought millet flour is already rancid, which is why I recommend grinding your own.
- If you grind your own flour and the loaf is still bitter, it's either that the millet grains you bought were rancid or you just don't love the taste of millet.
- I used millet bought from the supermarket. By all accounts, store bought millet is pearl millet unless otherwise specified on the packaging.
- I find that store bought psyllium husk powder is A) too fine of a powder and B) often made from a sort of psyllium that will turn your breads grey or purple. I grind my own using a spice grinder for this reason. At the moment, I am using BonVit brand here in Australia (and it hasn't turned my breads grey).
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!