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.
This sounds very interesting and I would like to try it, however I can’t use rice flour. Would teff flour be an ok substitute.
I haven’t made this with teff flour, but I think it’s worth trying. Please let me know how it goes.
Hi, could this be made in a bread machine?
I’m not sure. Please let me know if you try it!
I love the flavor of this Millet brad, but unsure why it falls while baking. I make sure not to overmix. Any suggestions? The yeast water mixture proofed very nicely.
I’m guessing your dough was just a little too moist. Add a bit more millet flour (up to 3 tablespoons) next time, and see if that helps.
Have you tried this with an egg replacement?
I haven’t, but please let me know if you try it.
I can’t have rice so what could you substitute for the rice flour?
And can you leave out the sugar and honey (both lots)?
I haven’t tried this with another flour in place of the rice flour, but you could experiment with other gluten free flours that you can tolerate. The sugar activates the yeast, so I wouldn’t skip it. You could skip the honey, but it really does balance the flavor, and the bread might taste a bit bitter without it.
What can I use instead of xanthan gum? I can’t have any gums.
I haven’t made this without xanthan gum, so I’m not sure. It will probably be a bit crumbly without it, but the recipe may still work. Please let me know if you try it.
Can I substitute psyllium husk powder for the xanthan gum?
I haven’t tried that. Please let me know if you do!
I’ve made this yesterday with potato starch instead of tapioca, flax eggs instead of eggs, and maple syrup instead of honey. It didn’t rise a lot, but it was cold in my house, so maybe that’s the reason. The texture was great and I like the taste too, but I find it a little too sweet. Can I omit the honey (in my case the maple syrup)? Thanks!
Yes, that should be fine. Let me know how it turns out!
I made this last night. I did do a few changes, had to use guar gum instead of xanthan gum because unable to find xanthan gum, used coconut sugar instead of regular sugar, used maple syrup instead of honey and use a egg replacement called just egg mixed with aquafaba because I can’t do eggs. I ended up dividing the dough stupidly so the bread is tiny lol, still turned out delicious. I had today with avocado and topped with just egg. Yum c
Great recipe. I did not have flax so I used chia instead. And substituted aquafaba for the eggs. Turned out great.
Hello, I’d really love to try this recipe! Do you think I could make rolls out of it? Thanks!
Sarah, I haven’t made this into rolls. My only hesitation is that the batter may be too moist to form it into rolls. Please let me know if you try it.
Can I skip the xanthan gum?
The xanthan gum helps bind the bread together, so it may be a bit crumbly without it. Let me know if you try it that way.
I have millet flour that I need to use soon but have a quick question. What is the purpose of xantham gum? Thank you! Looking forward to your response.
Sue, xanthan gum helps bind the bread together, and it improves the texture. Enjoy!
It makes the gluten free bread stick together. Without it, the bread would crumble and fall apart.
Am looking for a millet flout recipe.this looks good, was wondering if there would be a difference between using brown rice but rather white rice for the flour? Don’t like using brown rice because of arsnic, it picks it up from the soil, organic or not. Thanks, Carol
Carol, white rice flour will work, too. Enjoy!
Made your millet-flax bread. It tastes great. Didn’t have either arrowroot or tapioca. Used a little less than called for if potatoe starch. It rose up nicely to the top and waited about 15 more minutes for it to rise more. Put it in the oven at 350 and checked it a little later and it had fallen instead of risen. My yeast could have been bad. If you have any suggestions…. thanks for a tasty millet-flax recipe. Carol
I don’t think your yeast was bad if it rose to the top before baking. I can’t say for sure what went wrong since you used a substitute ingredient, but I’m guessing you let it rise too much, or your dough was too moist. If you try it again, I suggest trying it with an extra 2 or 3 tablespoons of millet flour.
As in most food that is inherent with arsenic, it will dissipate when you cook it.
Really nice tasting bread
Hi,
Do you think this recipe would work okay with flax eggs or egg replacer?
Thank you!
I don’t see why it wouldn’t work with flax eggs, but I haven’t tried it. Please let me know how it works if you make it that way.
I tried your recipe and liked it alot! My family did also. The only problem i had was the first loaf sunk when i took it out, the second time i didnt let it rise as much but when it was cooling it seemed to start sinkinking so i flipped it over and let it cool unsidedown in the pan,on the wirerack, any suggestion? Cause ill be making it again soon!
I’m glad your family liked it! When bread sinks in the middle, I think it’s often due to too much moisture. So I would try adding a couple extra tablespoons of millet flour next time. The other possibility is that you let it rise too much, as you mentioned with the first loaf. Please let me know if you try it with a bit more flour.
Hi, thanks and i just tried it and i think it worked, i used 2 T extra, its sinking alittle, but not much
Great! Thanks for letting me know. I bet it will taste the same with such a small increase in flour. Maybe try 3 T next time?