Spicy Millet Bread Recipes

SPICED AND HERBED MILLET

Steps:

• Place olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add millet and stir until glossy. Add cumin and broth and stir.
• Raise heat and bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer gently just until millet has absorbed all the broth, about 25 minutes.
• Remove from heat and add lemon juice, parsley and extra virgin olive oil. Work them into the millet using a fork, fluffing mixture. Transfer to a warmed bowl and serve.

TOASTED MILLET PORRIDGE SOURDOUGH

Steps:

• The toasted millet porridge can be made days ahead, or you can start the toast/soak when you begin to build your starter. Then at the porridge-boil stage, you can autolyse your flour.
• Porridge
• In a dry pan on medium heat, toast the 150g millet for 2-3 minutes, mixing and shifting it around. You should hear occasional popping and smell a nice aroma.
• Transfer the millet to a medium bowl and add 470 ml of water (2 cups). Cover and let sit 5 hours to overnight. When it has soaked sufficiently, you will be able to split a seed with your nail.
• Pour the contents of the bowl into a saucepan, and bring to a boil on your smallest burner. Cover the pan and lower the heat to simmer. Set a timer for 20 minutes. When the timer goes off, turn off the heat but leave the lid on for 10 additional minutes. Then fluff, cool and use.
• Bread
• The instructions in italics are for the Tartine method. However, you may also mix all the ingredients together at once (I still suggest one stretch and fold after 20-30 minutes, mostly to ensure ingredient incorporation) and then resume the instructions after the italics section.
• Mix the flours and water, holding back about 1/4 cup of water. Cover and allow the dough to autolyse for 1-4 hours.
• Add the starter to the dough by pinching and kneading until it is incorporated. Cover again and let rest for 20-30 minutes.
• Begin a series of four rounds of stretching and folding, 20-30 minutes between each round.
• Before the second stretch and fold, dissolve the salt in the reserved water. Add the salt water and the toasted millet porridge to the dough. Pinch, squeeze, and knead with two hands until it is well distributed into the dough.
• Cover and let the dough ferment for several more hours. Total fermentation time depends on room temperature, but will likely be 6-10 hours.
• When the dough has roughly doubled in size and there are some bubble on the surface, flour your countertop and scrape the dough out onto it.
• If you've made a double dough (i.e. not halved the recipe), cut the dough in half and pre-shape it into round or oval balls, depending on the type of baking vessel(s) you have.
• Cover the dough with plastic and let it rest for ~20 minutes.
• Prepare your proofing basket(s) by dusting them with flour or bran flakes.
• Shape your doughs into tight round or oval shapes, transfer them to the proofing baskets, and cover. You can also roll the tops of the doughs in millet before placing them in the banneton (millet-side down) to proof. I find the seeds too hard to chew, however, so I don't do this -- even though it looks attractive.
• Proof at room temperature for 1-2 hours, or in the refrigerator for 5-10 hours.
• Preheat your oven with the baking vessel(s) inside for 30 min at 500F.
• If you are doing 2 breads and only have one baking vessel, you can use the refrigerator to slow down the proof of one of the doughs, so that you bake the breads separately (different days, several hours apart, or in succession). If you bake one after the other, I suggest a 15 minute re-preheat of the baking vessel before bread #2.
• When the final proof and the preheating are complete, take the baking vessel from the oven. Gently flip the dough out of the basket and into the bottom of your baking vessel. Score the top of the dough. Cover and return the vessel to the oven.
• Bake at:
• 500F for 30 minutes lid on
• 450F for 10-15 minutes lid off
• When finished, the internal temp should be 205F or more.
• Remove the baking vessel from the oven and transfer the bread to a cooling rack.
• Let cool at least 1 hour before cutting. If you've chosen the higher hydration recipe variation, you may want to wait longer than 1 hour before cutting.

BRYANT TERRY'S MILLET CAKES WITH SMOKY-SPICY GREEN SAUCE

Steps:

• Make the sauce: Put the date in a small saucepan, add water to cover and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside. When date is completely softened, drain off water.
• In a medium skillet over medium heat, combine oil, ginger, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and cook, stirring, until the garlic starts to smell fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer the contents of the pan to a blender. Add the roasted peppers, cilantro, bourbon, and the softened date and purée until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper. Set aside until ready to serve.
• Make the cakes: Combine flax powder and 6 tablespoons water in a small bowl. Mix well with a fork. Cover and refrigerate to let thicken.
• Heat the oven to 400 degrees. With a fork, pierce the potato all over then wrap in foil. Bake until tender, 50 to 60 minutes. Set aside to cool. When the potato is cool enough to handle, peel it, transfer to a bowl, and mash until smooth. Set aside 1/2 cup of the mashed potato for this dish and use the rest for something else.
• In a small saucepan over medium heat, toast the millet, gently shaking the pan to ensure even cooking, until the millet smells fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Add 1 cup of water and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and raise the heat to high until the water boils. Immediately turn down the heat to low, cover, and cook until the water has evaporated, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and set aside.
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine lentils with 1 1/2 cups water over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, skim off any foam, and simmer, covered, until just tender, 5 to 7 minutes. The lentils should be soft but not falling apart. Remove the lid, drain off any excess liquid, and stir in a generous pinch of salt. Set aside to cool.
• In a medium skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of peanut oil over medium-high heat and until the surface shimmers. Add onions and sauté, stirring often, until soft and just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté until it starts to smell fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add berbere spice blend and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, until combined about 1 minute. Transfer onion mixture to a medium bowl. Mix in the 1/2 cup of reserved potato, millet and lentils, plus millet flour and the reserved flax seed mixture until thoroughly combined. Season with salt to taste.
• Using your hands, form the mixture into 12 cakes, using about 1/4 cup of mixture per cake and placing the finished cakes on parchment paper. Transfer to a container with a lid, using parchment paper to separate the layers. Refrigerate, covered, at least 2 hours or up to 2 days to firm up.
• When ready to cook, heat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit and gently reheat the sauce. Spread the toasted panko in a shallow dish and combine with 1 teaspoon salt. Gently dredge each cake in the salted panko, coating both sides and shaking off any excess crumbs. After coating, transfer each cake to a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet.
• In a large cast-iron skillet or heavy nonstick pan over medium-high heat, heat 3 tablespoons peanut oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add enough cakes to fit in the pan without overcrowding. Cook until golden, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain, then to the lined baking sheet. Place the cakes in the oven to keep warm. Wipe out the skillet and repeat with remaining cakes.
• To serve, spread a generous 1/4 cup of warm sauce on the bottom of 4 serving plates. Place 3 cakes on each plate. Garnish with a handful of lettuce and roasted red peppers.

FRAGRANT MILLET PILAF

Steps:

• In a heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Mix the millet, coriander and cinnamon into the saucepan; saute for another minute or two, stirring constantly. Stir in the saffron threads, salt, pepper, and water. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, then cover the pan, and simmer for 30 minutes.
• While the millet simmers, prepare the tofu: Cut the tofu into small cubes about the size of peas. Place the tofu in a saucepan, and cover it with the white wine. Add the shallots and the garlic. Place the pan over medium-high heat until the wine comes to a simmer, then turn the heat to low. Simmer the tofu for 10 minutes or until the wine is reduced by half.
• When the millet has simmered for 30 minutes, add it and it's cooking liquid to the tofu. Mix in the corn and the orange rind. Stir well, then cover the pan and continue cooking for 5 minutes.
• Stir the tomatoes into the millet. Season with salt and pepper, then spoon the millet pilaf onto plates. Garnish with the chopped green onions and serve.

SPICY MILLET BREAD

Steps:

• bring 1 cup water to the boil add the millet cover & simmer gently for 20 minutes until the grains are soft & the water is absorbed.remove from the heat & leave to cool until just warm.
• mix together the flour,salt,sugar,chilli flakes if using & yeast in a large bowl.
• add water & mix well,turn out the dough onto a floured work surface & knead for 10 minutes.if the dough seems a little dry,knead well until the dough becomes smooth & elastic.
• place the dough in a oiled bowl & cover with oiled clear film or a dish towel.leave to rise for 1 hour until doubled in bulk.
• meanwhile,melt the butter in a heavy frying pan, add the onion & fry for 10 minutes until softened stirring occasionally. add the cumin seeds & the turmeric,& fry for 5-8 minutes,stirring constantly until the cumin seed begin to pop,set the pan aside.
• knock back the dough by pressing down with your knuckles to deflate the dough,then shape into a round. place the onion mixture in the middle of the dough & bring the sides over the filling to make a parcel,then seal well.
• place the dough on a oiled baking sheet,seem side down,cover with oiled clear film & leave in a warm place for 45 minutes until doubled in bulk.
• preheat the oven to 220 degrees celcius.
• bake the bread for 30 minutes until golden.it should sound hollow when tapped underneath.
• leave to cool on a wire rack.