Millet and Rye Bread

I spotted this recipe a few weeks ago when flicking through Jennie Shapter's fantastic Bread Machines & Beyond.  It caught my eye because we had millet in the cupboard, leftover from my trying to tempt Tilda to eat. 

It took me a couple o fweeks to get round to making it for the first time, and I was really pleased that I could use Thermy to grind some of the millet seeds into flour for part of the recipe.

The bread was lovely.  A good crust, full of flavour, and the keeping quality was excellent.  It toasted superbly, which is always a bonus.

I've been making this almost constantly since.  My poor sourdough starters are, temporarily, sitting unused in the fridge. 

• 50g rye flour
• 450g unbleached white bread flour
• 50g millet flakes
• 1 tablespoon molasses sugar in one corner (I've subsequently made it with ordinary dark soft brown sugar and it's been equally delicious)
• 1 teaspoon salt in another corner
• 25g butter in a third corner
• 1 teaspoon easy blend yeast (make sure the yeast doesn't come into contact with the water. Either put it in before the flour,  or make a small dent in one corner and put the yeast in, then cover it with flour.)
• 300ml water
•  50g millet seeds (added at the "raisin beep' stage)
• millet flour for dusting

My breadmaker, a Panasonic, requires the dry ingredients in first.

It also has a yeast dispenser and a raisin dispenser, so that's where mine goes.  Follow the order for your own breadmaker.

Put the breadmaker on to the (raisin) dough setting. Mine takes 2h 20 minutes. Add the millet seeds at the raisin beep stage

At the end, tip out onto a lightly floured surface and punch down gently.  While doing so, shape into a rectangle.  Roll it up lengthways (like a swiss roll), and make it into a thick batton with squaish ends.

Put the rolled up dough, seam side down, onto a baking sheet.  Cover with  oiled clear clingfilm - I don't do this. I put the tray in an enormous polythene bag and tie it.  Put it in a warm place to rise for 30-45 minutes. Don't forget it, overproving is not good.

At the end of the proving time, remove the bag/film, and dust the loaf withth emillet flour.  Using a sharp knife cut several pairs of chevrons down the length of the loaf to give it room to rise.  Let it stand for 10 minutes or so.

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees/Gas 7.

Bake the loaf for 25-30 minutes, until it's a golden brown colour and sounds hollow when tapped on the base. Pop on a cooling rack.