This sourdough with millet recipe is one of my favorites so far. The millet adds a very subtle sweetness to the loaf which is quite delicious with the tanginess of the dough. I also enjoyed the texture. It was a little more hearty than my regular sourdough loaves, which made it perfect for sandwiches. I had actually never tried millet before this, but I was inspired by other homemakers on Instagram and will continue to experiment with it.
I cooked my millet by simmering a half cup of dry millet in one cup of water for about 15-20 minutes. The millet also might be good toasted in the oven, but I haven’t tried that yet. Millet is actually quite difficult for me to find in grocery stores in my area for some reason (probably why I had never tried it before). I ended up ordering this organic hulled millet that I found online:
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The timing of this recipe is adaptable to your schedule. For my schedule, I prepared the leaven in the evening, and mixed the dough the next morning. The shaped loaves can proof at room temperature for about 4 hours or in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.
Sourdough with Millet
Equipment
- Dutch oven
- kitchen scale
- sourdough starter
Ingredients
Leaven (Levain) Ingredients
- 169 g sourdough starter
- 522 g water
- 142 g whole wheat flour
- 342 g bread flour I used Central Milling's Artisan Bakers Craft Plus
Dough Ingredients
- 254 g water
- 600 g bread flour I used Central Milling's Artisan Bakers Craft Plus
- 20 g sea salt
- 300 g cooked millet (about 1/2 cup dry millet) Follow the instructions on the package for how to cook it. You'll need 1/2 cup dry millet. I cooked mine 1 cup simmering water for 16 minutes.
- rice flour (for dusting) optional
Instructions
Make the leaven (or levain) – prepare in the evening (the first day)
- In a large mixing bowl or container like this one, weigh out the 169 g sourdough starter using your kitchen scale.
- Then, add 522 g water and 142 g whole wheat flour, and 342 g bread flour. Mix to combine.
- Cover the mixture and let rest at room temperature overnight for about 10-14 hours. It will double or triple in size. I actually left mine outside because the temperture was cooler (~65 °F)
Mix the dough – the next morning (the second and third days)
- After the leaven has grown in volume and is very bubbly, add 254 g water and 600 g bread flour. Mix by hand gently to combine. Some of the flour might still be dry. Cover, and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes
- After 30 minutes, add the salt and mix to incorporate. Then cover and rest again for 30 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the millet if you haven't already.
- Then, perform one set of stretch and folds by gently lifting up the sides of the dough and folding toward the middle of the dough. Add the 300 g cooked millet to the dough, and continue stretching and folding the dough until the millet is incorporated. Cover, and let rest for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes of resting, stretch and fold the dough again. Repeat the stretching and folding two more times over the next hour. Then, cover refrigerate it overnight or for about 10-12 hours.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and rest it at room temperature for about 2.5 hours. During this time, do one set of stretch and folds.
Shape the dough (the third day)
- Then, remove the dough from the container onto the counter and divide into two pieces. A slightly damp counter will prevent the dough from sticking.
- Form each piece of dough into a taut ball by gently pulling the dough underneath (see video). Then rest each dough ball seam-side down on the counter for 20 minutes.
- Next, transfer each loaf into bowls or bannetons lined with kitchen towls. It helps to dust the kitchen towls with flour (rice flour works well). The loaves will be seam-side up in the bannetons or bowls. Dust the loaves with flour, and cover with a kitchen towl or plastic wrap.
- Refrigerate the shaped loaves for 12-48 hours (depending on your schedule)
Bake the loaves (the fourth or fifth day)
- Preheat your oven and Dutch oven to 500°F. I usually preheat for at least 20 minutes after the oven says it reaches 500 °F to make sure it is thoroughly heated.
- Remove a shaped loaf from the refrigerator and slash the dough across the top to allow steam to escape during baking. Transfer to the Dutch oven, cover and bake for 25 minutes. It helps to line your Dutch oven with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- After 25 minutes, decrease the oven temperature to 450 °F and uncover the Dutch oven. Bake for another 20-40 minutes or until golden brown.
- Allow the bread to cool for a few hours, then slice and eat!
Notes
If you enjoyed this loaf, also check out my sourdough with quinoa loaf!