Wholemeal sourdough bread with millet seed

Millet seed isn’t just for the birds, it also makes a delicious addition to sourdough wholemeal bread. My grandchildren love this bread as it breaks easily into pieces that they can snack on while waiting for dinner! It goes well with cheese and olives, and the millet seeds add a bit of a crunch to the texture. Sourdough starter is so good for flavour and the slow fermentation helps to break down gluten, so it’s great for those with gluten sensitivity. I love to use the more traditional varieties of wheat flour to make this bread as the nutritional value is enhanced as well as great flavour. Sometimes I substitute about 20% of the wheat flour with spelt or rye. It’s a bit more crumbly but my family love it with cheese. I use the sour dough starter in my bread maker, and check on the consistency as the dough is mixing. I always add some dried yeast as it gives a better rise in the bread maker, but if making by hand then I just use the sour dough starter for the rise.

Using a bread maker

Ingredients

Warm water and sour dough starter 440mls

Oil 3 tablespoons

Sugar (soft brown) 2 tablespoons

salt 2 teaspoons

wholemeal flour 700g (try substituting with 150g rye or spelt flour)

millet seeds 3 tablespoons

sunflower seeds 1 tablespoons

Dried yeast 2 teaspoons

Method

Add to the bread maker pan in the order above, or follow instructions for your breadmaker. Most bread makers say that you can’t use sourdough starters but i have found that it works well as described above. I just check the consistency of the dough in the mixing phase and add a bit more flour or liquid as required. Sometimes I take the dough out of the pan and knead a little by hand to get the dough just right. It’s well worth the extra attention and makes a delicious loaf.

Added by: Rachel Verheul

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