Millet flour, obtained by grinding decorticated millet, is rich in iron and magnesium, ideal for coeliacs and excellent for both bread and cakes. Let's find out better.
How millet flour is made
Millet flour is obtained by grinding the decorticated yellow millet, Panicum miliaceum, a very ancient cereal originating in Asia and Indian areas.
Widely used, as well as in Asia, also in Africa, it is still little known in Europe. Millet flour is obtained from yellowish grains that form inside a panicle. The millet plant is about 1.5 meters high, has long, narrow leaves.
Properties and use of millet flour
Millet is one of the most complete cereals, in fact it contains an abundant quantity of iron, magnesium, silicon and phosphorus . Millet flour is gluten-free and this makes it perfect for coeliacs, and is rich in starch, calcium, potassium, copper and zinc .
Thanks to the minerals it contains, it has a beneficial effect on tooth enamel, hair, nails and skin.
Millet flour has a similar composition to wheat, although, as we have seen, it does not contain gluten. Instead it contains vitamins of group A and B, it is nutritious, ideal for feeding children, for pregnant women and for those who carry out particularly demanding intellectual activities or for those with a weakened body.
Discover the difference between millet flour and whole millet brown flour
Millet flour products
With millet flour it is possible to make bread, savory biscuits, cakes, meatballs, soups, breadsticks, biscuits and cakes . It is used mixed with wheat flour from 15 to 30% in the preparation or together with corn flour.
In Naples, around Carnevale, the well-known miles blast was prepared with millet flour, a sweet cake, now prepared with cornmeal.
Millet is easily found in shops and malls, while millet flour can be made at home using hulled millet or found in specialty stores.
A recipe up your sleeve
Preparation of millet bread : melt a cube of yeast in warm milk; mix the flours (300 grams of wheat and 200 of millet) with the salt and add a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, enough water and the mixture of yeast and milk, then knead well.
Give the shape of a loaf, make a cross cut on the surface and let it rise for about an hour and a half. Bake the loaf at 180 degrees for 20 minutes.
