Millet Bread
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This gluten-free millet bread is such a delicious recipe. It’s a healthy, affordable alternative to store-bought gluten-free sandwich bread.
One of the biggest challenges of a gluten-free diet is finding a decent loaf of bread to eat. The store-bought loaves tend to be very expensive and not so tasty.
It’s difficult to find a recipe that doesn’t contain at least 6 different types of flour in it. Who wants to buy all that flour? Also, the price of gluten-free flour is much higher than that of regular flour, which is discouraging. I know that some gluten-free folks give up on bread altogether because of these challenges.
I’m someone who could never give up bread. The convenience of a sandwich is a comfort that I need in my life. After going gluten-free several years ago, I tried a few bread recipes, but none of them came out well.
At the suggestion of a nutritionist, I started ordering millet flax bread from a bakery called Sami’s. For gluten-free bread, they have really good stuff, but it becomes expensive to order it regularly.
So after a while, I decided it was time to figure out how to make a good loaf of gluten-free bread myself. I’m happy to say that I’ve done it with this millet bread recipe. It’s soft and hearty, and it makes a great sandwich.
Millet Bread Tips
For this millet bread, the yeast needs to be properly activated first. Heat water to a temperature of 115 degrees, then mix the yeast and sugar together in the warm water. The mixture should become frothy within about 15 minutes. If it doesn’t get frothy, throw it away and use another package of yeast. The bread won’t rise properly if the yeast isn’t good.
After you place the dough in a loaf pan, cover it with a warm, wet kitchen towel and let it rise to the top of the pan. This takes between 45 and 90 minutes, depending on the temperature of your kitchen. If you let the dough rise too much, the millet bread loaf may collapse in the middle during baking.
This bread tastes wonderful right out of the oven, and it’s delicious the day it’s made. The texture isn’t as good the next day, so I like to freeze the portion I won’t be using the day it’s made.
For the best results, you can slice this millet bread before putting it in the freezer. Freeze it in pairs of slices so you can take out just enough for a sandwich. You can toast it, or defrost it on the counter until it reaches room temperature.
For the millet flour, you can buy millet from the bulk bins at Whole Foods and grind just the right amount into flour using a coffee grinder. Otherwise, I like Bob’s Red Mill for the millet flour as well as the brown rice flour, tapioca starch, and flax meal.
Visit my gallery of gluten free recipes for lots of other ideas of how you can enjoy gluten free snacks and meals.
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 tsp sugar (or honey)
- 1 cup water heated to 115 degrees
- 1 1/4 cup millet flour
- 3/4 cup tapioca starch
- 1/2 cup brown rice flour
- 1/4 cup flax meal
- 2 tsp xanthan gum
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 3 tbs olive oil
- 2 tbs honey
Instructions
- Proof the yeast by mixing the yeast, sugar, and warm water together in a small bowl or measuring cup. It will begin to get frothy after about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Combine the millet flour, tapioca starch, brown rice flour, flax meal, xanthan gum, and salt in a medium bowl.
- In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, olive oil, and honey. Add the yeast/water mixture. Stir in the dry ingredients and mix until fully combined.
- Transfer the dough to a 1 pound (9 inch x 5 inch) greased loaf pan.
- Cover the pan with a warm wet towel and let the dough rise. It should take between 45 and 90 minutes for the dough to reach the top of the pan (depending on the air temperature).
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- When the dough has risen to the top of the loaf pan, bake it for 40 to 45 minutes. The loaf should rise a bit more while baking, and the top should be well-browned.
- Cool on a wire rack before removing from the pan. This tastes best the day it’s made. You can freeze any leftovers.
Approximate Nutrition Info
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Price Breakdown
The ingredients for this recipe cost a total of $3.07, or $.26 per slice. It’s so liberating to be able to come up with an affordable, tasty loaf of gluten-free bread that I don’t have to order online. Try this millet bread for a great alternative to store-bought gluten-free bread.
Note: This post was originally published in 2012, and it was updated in 2020.
I hv tried yr other millet recipe using wheat husk which carries a slightly bitter taste..here u are using other flours. Does this recipe also taste bitter ?
This doesn’t taste bitter. Enjoy!
what can replace tapioca starch?
I haven’t substituted anything for the tapioca starch before, but you could try arrowroot starch.
Can you make without the eggs? I see there is flax in recipe already?
I haven’t tried it without egg, but it may work with flax egg, chia egg, or Just Egg. Please let me know if you try it!
I’m sorry this recipe hasn’t worked well for you. It comes out well for me as written in this recipe. I’m guessing the variation may be due to how the dry ingredients are measured, since a flat loaf is often due to too much moisture. If you try it again, another reader found that adding a bit of extra millet flour helped the bread to rise. You could add up to a quarter cup of additional millet flour.
Thank you – this recipe was delicious!
Does it matter which type of oven being used. I.e. convection vs conventional
This is made with a conventional oven. Bake time/temp may vary if you’re using convection, I think it depends on the particular oven.
If it has eggs, it isn’t dairy free.
Dairy is anything that’s made from cow’s milk.
I tried this recipe and it was super delicious but my loaf was like half as tall as it should be? Any idea what I did wrong?
If the middle of the loaf collapses during baking, it’s typically because the dough is too wet, or it has risen too much before baking. Try not letting it rise as much before baking next time, and/or add a bit of extra millet flour.
I don’t want to use flax. Is it crucial to consistency or can I just use more of other flours?
I haven’t tried this recipe without flax meal, but it would probably work to substitute other flours. Please let me know if you try it.
Hi, I would love to make this but can’t eat eggs. Could I do a fox egg substitute or chia? Have you tried this? I also love the sami’s bread and am looking to make my own.
I haven’t tried this with flax eggs. Please let me know if you give it a try!
I have tried to make GF Bread with Millet several times and for the most part the bread will rise beautifully in the oven and then completely collapse. I don’t know what I am doing wrong and really want a success because the millet adds such a beautiful taste the otherwise not very good tasting GF bread. My oven is of correct temp, it has risen to double, about to the top of the pan. Any help is greatly appreciated. I will give this recipe a try and see if I have any better luck.
If the middle collapses, it’s typically because the dough is too wet, or it has risen too much before baking. If you try this recipe and the middle collapses, don’t let it rise as much the next time, and/or add a bit of extra millet flour. Good luck!
Bread tasted great but I let it rise to the top of the pan then placed it in the oven and it dropped to half the size. It didn’t calaps it just feel to half the size it was when I put it in the oven.
Why?
That’s strange, I haven’t seen that happen. It shrunk in all directions to only fill half the pan while it baked?
Can I need the dough by hand?
I haven’t tried that, and I’m not sure what the texture would be like. Please let me know if you try it.
What type of mixer do you use to mix the ingredients?
You can stir the mixture by hand with a wooden spoon.