≡ Menu

Millet Chia Bread & Variations

It’s the first Wednesday of the month and you know what that means don’t you?  It’s Ratio Rally time again!!

This month’s Ratio Rally host is Karen of Cooking Gluten Free.

If you jump over there you can check out all the other bread offerings for this month’s rally.  I will also have all the links at the bottom of this post.

When I started eating gluten-free, I first bought most of my gluten-free baked goods at the store.  One taste of one particular gluten-free bread and I decided I would rather NOT eat bread than that… stuff.  Ugh.

Muffins and brownies were successful pretty much right off the bat.  I didn’t buy many of the gluten-free mixes as they are far too expensive!

millet chia loafThen I discovered Rudi’s bread at Costco.  Yes, my Costco carried it as a test… but it didn’t last.  Not enough folks buying it to warrant Costco freezer space.  Sigh.

After some months something changed.  I don’t know if Rudi’s changed their formula or if it was a change to my taste buds but all the Rudi’s breads now had an off fish-y taste.  ARHG!

I dabbled a bit with making homemade bread, but was meeting with limited success.

In comes Udi’s bread.  So far they taste fine, but… it is the ingredients I object to.  The corn is not listed as non-GMO, they use organic canola oil but it is not good for you,  there is corn syrup in the mold inhibitor, yadda, yadda, yadda.  Then there is the $5 price tag for a miniscule loaf of bread.  The loaf isn’t even a whole pound in weight!

They did have an interesting ‘new’ bread though.  Millet Chia Bread, and it boasts a much nicer nutrient profile than the very starchy ‘white’ breads.

Still can’t get past the non-GMO corn thing though.

So I decided that a Millet Chia Bread would be an excellent thing to recreate for the Ratio Rally!  I have had a hankering for some bread with texture, tooth, fiber even.

My first loaf I used too much flax-seed meal.  I guess I really shouldn’t have made a Flax Chia Bread.  Ick.  Bread texture was fantastic though not “toothy”, the taste (other than too much flax-seed which I am not fond of) was really good.  It had a beautiful rise & “real bread” holes too!  This bread was moist and stayed that way for at least a week left out on the counter.

Yes, you did read that correctly… left out on the counter!

This bread also toasted very nicely too!!

Yes that is a real pat of butter melting on that slice of toasted gluten/dairy free bread.  Due to some healing (which will be another post) I am having much less “digestive problems” when I eat dairy!  I promise I will get to that post soon.  Subscribe to my feed so you won’t miss it.

My next loaf I tried using a bit less of the guar gum and… WOW!  Great taste, great rise, better nutrient profile, great toast-ability, easy!

Then there is the Pumpernickel variety that just came out of the oven.  I have had a request from the Patriarch for some Pumpernickel bread.  Since today is our 25th Wedding Anniversary I thought this would be an excellent bread for today’s Ratio Rally.

Sourdough and Pumpernickel breads are really the only ones I still miss.  This rally didn’t offer enough the time to play with a sourdough like I want to try, but I think I have hit on Pumpernickel almost-heaven!  Not with the “tooth” I would like but the taste is terrific!  Even the non-gluten free Patriarch said the taste was great.

My ratio?  Um…

Ruhlman’s bread ratio is 5 parts flour 3 parts water plus yeast and salt.  I think my ratio is close to that with the addition of eggs.

Millet Chia & Pumpernickel Bread
 
Author:
Recipe type: Bread
Cuisine: Gluten Free
Serves: 1 loaf
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:

 
bread ratio is 5 parts flour 3 parts water plus yeast and salt
Ingredients
  • 1 ounce quinoa flakes
  • 1 ounce Montina supplement (purchase & nutritional info at end of post)
  • ½ ounce inulin (I buy mine at Walgreens)
  • 1 ounce milled chia seeds (I bought mine from Azure Standard)
  • 1 ounce whole millet
  • 4 ½ ounces brown rice flour
  • 3 ounces sweet rice flour
  • ½ – 1 tsp guar gum
  • 4 ounce filtered water
  • 1 TBSP evaporated cane juice
  • 1 TBSP yeast.
  • 5 ounces filtered water or milk
  • 2 – 3 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil (use more oil if not using milk)
  • 2 tsp raw apple cider vinegar
  • 2 – 4 TBSP honey
  • 2 large eggs
Instructions
  1. Weigh out in the bowl of a stand mixer the first 8 ingredients.
  2. Weigh out and heat water to 100 degrees.
  3. Add yeast and 1 TBSP of cane juice.
  4. Mix well and allow to proof until foamy. About 5 – 10 minutes.
  5. While that is proofing, mix last 5 ingredients together.
  6. Pour the liquids and the proofed yeast mix into the mixing bowl.
  7. Mix completely on low. Beat on high for 3 minutes.
  8. Clean off beaters and remove.
  9. Cover bowl with a clean tea towel and let sit for 45 minutes.
  10. Reinstall beaters and beat on high for 3 minutes.
  11. Pour & scrape batter into a greased 4 ½ x 8 ½ glass bread pan.
  12. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  13. Cover with tea towel, set in draft free place and let rise for 30 minutes. Bake for 10 minutes.
  14. Cover with foil to prevent over-browning and bake for an additional 35 – 45 minutes. It should be firm to the touch when pressed… you’ll “see” what I mean when you take it out of the oven and it… ‘isn’t firm’.
  15. Insert a thermometer into the bread, it should read 200 degrees.
  16. Let cool in pan for 15 minutes.
  17. Remove from pan and allow to cool on cooling racks completely before slicing.
  18. Store in a plastic bag on the counter. Will last at least a week. On. The. Counter!
Notes
TO MAKE PUMPERNICKEL BREAD ADD:
2 TBSP unsweetened cocoa
zest of one large navel organic orange (1 TBSP?)
2 tsp caraway seed
1 tsp minced dried onion
½ tsp dill weed
replace honey with molasses
When you grease your bread pan, “flour” the pan with organic corn meal and sprinkle the top of the batter with corn meal before baking.
Continue with recipe above.

 

What is “Montina” Pure Baking Supplement you ask??  It is a baking supplement that adds fiber and protein.  In a “serving size” (3.5 ounces.2/3 cup) contain 24g insoluble fiber and 17g protein with NO fishy taste!  In a search to help Montana farmers and find an alternative to wheat and barley they rediscovered the Native American Indian ricegrass plant.  I’m loving this stuff!  I did not use a whole serving size in one loaf of bread, so my bread’s fiber & protein profile will not be as high, but will be higher than a standard rice flour bread.  Inulin is a fiber supplement.

pumpernickel slicedIn the course of learning to bake good gluten & dairy free bread I have learned a few things.

1) Gluten free bread will never be “big”.  The size bread pan I have stated above is just about the largest one you can use with success.  You can go longer, but not wider.

2) When a recipe is developed and the bread is baked using a specific pan, you will NOT get the same results if you use a pan made of different construction or size.  If you have steel, ceramic, cast iron or aluminum pans you will have to experiment with baking times.  But that still does not guarantee the same results…

3) Beating on high seems to ‘change’ the batter.  It becomes ribbon-y or rope-y, for lack of a better descriptive.  I tried to capture “it” in photos.  It seems to me that it develops “cohesion” of some kind.  Like gluten would develop if we were using gluten.

4) There really isn’t an “all purpose” gluten free bread.  If you want a sandwich bread, that will be quite different from a toast-able bread.  Gluten free sandwich bread, when toasted, is… well… quite  d-r-y [cough].  Toast-able bread doesn’t make good sandwiches as it is moist-ish.  So… these recipes are for toast-able bread!  ;-)

Where to purchase ingredients:

1) Montina Baking Supplement does not seem to be available any longer.  Boo HOO!  Now I am seriously going to have to find something to replaces this… but do not know with what at the moment.   I am so sorry.  I try to make sure to use ingredients that are available… and this was in my cupboard.  No use posting nutritional information on something you can’t purchase.  :-(

Blessings, ~Aunt Mae (aka ~Mrs. R)

Other gluten & dairy free posts that may be of interest to you:

Cinnamon Rolls

Breakfast Mix

Lemon Lavender Muffins

Almond Fig Scones

Classic “Cream” Scones – gluten & dairy free

Williamsburg Orange Cake

Rice Flour Muffins

Rice Flour Muffin Variations

The Bread Ratio Rally Links:

Adina | Gluten Free Travelette  Seedy Sandwich Bread
Angela | Angela’s Kitchen  Our Family’s Basic Gluten Free Dairy Free Bread
~Aunt Mae (aka ~Mrs. R) | Honey From Flinty Rocks  Millet Chia Bread
Brooke | B & the boy!  Buckwheat-Oat Bread

Caleigh | Gluten Freek Quinoa Naan
Charissa | Zest Bakery  Cherry Pecan Pot Bread, Gluten Free 
Claire | This Gluten-Free Life  German Vollkornbrot (Seeded Bread)
Erin | The Sensitive Epicure English Sandwich Bread (gluten-free & egg-free)  
Jenn | Jenn Cuisine  Gluten Free Boule
Jonathan | The Canary Files Gluten-Free, Vegan Mediterranean Soda Bread
Karen | Cooking Gluten Free!  Gluten Free Sandwich Bread/Gluten Free Naan
Meaghan | The Wicked Good Vegan  Vegan Gluten-Free Bread
Meg | Gluten-Free Boulangerie  Ciabatta (gluten-free, egg-free/vegan)
Monika | Chew on This!  amaranth skillet flatbreads, amaranth mini pita rounds
Morri | Meals with Morri No Knead Sun-dried Tomato & Basil Flatbread (yeast free/grain free)
Pete & Kelli | No Gluten, No Problem  Gluten-Free Challah
Rachel / The Crispy Cook  Gluten Free Chickpea Sandwich Bread
TR | No One Likes Crumbley Cookies  Gluten Free White Bread
Tara | A Baking Life  Gluten-Free Sandwich Bread & Boule

This post also linked here: The Better Mom, What Joy is MineRaising Arrows, Finding Heaven, Homestead Revival, Far Above Rubies, Time Warp Wife, Growing Home, A Pause on the Path, Thankful Homemaker, Raising Homemakers, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, We are THAT Family, Deep Roots at Home, A Mother’s Heritage, Women Living Well, Intentional Me, Raising Mighty Arrows, Our Simple Country Life, At the Picket Fence, Best Post of the Week, Serenity Now, Comfy in the Kitchen, Finding Beauty,

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

{ 21 comments… add one }

  • mealswithmorri June 6, 2012, 9:40 AM

    Oh. Em. Gee. These are amazing variations! I especially love the colors and textures that are clearly seen from the photos.

    And I definitely need to try this montina stuff. I’ve heard a little bit about it, but I’m curious how it works with baking, etc.

    Seriously though, total yumminess.

    • ~Aunt Mae (~Mrs. R) June 6, 2012, 2:01 PM

      The Montina stuff works really well in gluten free baking!! And all without that funny ‘flax taste’…! Try it and let me know what you think!!

  • Alecia June 6, 2012, 1:39 PM

    The pumpernickel looks pretty good. I’ve never tried gluten free bread before, so this would be a first for me! I may have to give this one a go. thanks for sharing it:)

    • ~Aunt Mae (~Mrs. R) June 6, 2012, 2:02 PM

      Thank you for your visit to my blog! If you do try one of my breads, let me know how it turns out!

  • Tara June 6, 2012, 4:31 PM

    I’ve thought about trying to make my own version of Udi’s Millet Chia bread – I’m so glad you went for it! It looks wonderful. I’ve also been interested in checking out Montina. Wonder if I can find it locally . . .

    • ~Aunt Mae (~Mrs. R) June 7, 2012, 11:33 AM

      Thanks! I am not sure my version has the same amount of fiber, but it isn’t nearly so desert-dry as the Udi’s bread. If you know a group of people who bake gluten free and want to go in on an order for Montina…. it might save a bit on shipping.

  • Angela @ angelaskitchen.com June 6, 2012, 4:48 PM

    Your breads look so lovely! I love all the textures and colors you captured in your photos. Pumpernickel was one of my son’s favorites before, so I am going to have to try that one for sure. Thank you so much for sharing! It is wonderful to see everyone’s variations. I can’t wait to try them all!

  • thecanaryfiles June 6, 2012, 8:21 PM

    Beautiful bread! I, too, am not the biggest fan of a majority of the commercial breads out there. So empowering to be able to bake something that tastes wonderful and for a fraction of the price. Thank you for sharing and Happy Anniversary!

    • ~Aunt Mae (~Mrs. R) June 7, 2012, 11:30 AM

      Thank you for your kind words bout my bread and the salutation for our anniversary! This one Ratio Rally has me even more excited about baking my own gluten free foods!!

  • Monika {wcv} June 7, 2012, 5:06 AM

    I love seeing chia seeds used so prominently! And that pumpernickel version . . . I didn’t realize how much I miss pumpernickel until I saw your post. Thanks for sharing!

    • ~Aunt Mae (~Mrs. R) June 7, 2012, 11:28 AM

      Thank you for your kind words! The smell of the fresh orange zest is so wonderful!! Yup, I really missed pumpernickel bread, but not any more!!

  • Claire June 7, 2012, 5:09 AM

    These look wonderful, and I’m especially excited to try the Pumpernickel version! I love love love whole grain breads. Wonderful job!

  • Dana Adams June 7, 2012, 6:24 AM

    Thanks Aunt Mae! My dil will love these recipes. We havent found out for sure if the baby is celiac or gluten intolerant or what but she puts him on gluten free and he starts feeling better that day…amazing

    • ~Aunt Mae (~Mrs. R) June 7, 2012, 11:26 AM

      Hello Dana,
      I know it can seem to be a long wait to get confirmation, but in the end I think you will be glad you have it. I suspect that if the gluten was causing his gut to bleed, not having any will be such a relief to his system!! Have her check out my other gluten free recipes!!

  • gretchen June 7, 2012, 1:11 PM

    these look so perfect!! and fascinated by your montina addition. thanks for sharing them both and happy anniversary!

  • What Joy Is Mine June 9, 2012, 8:34 PM

    All these breads looked delish! Thank you for sharing the recipes and for linking up at WJIM.

  • Glenn Sanada November 4, 2013, 7:56 AM

    How about pumpkin bread?
    How about using stevia/xylitol, natural sweetners in your bread?
    How about using chia, hemp, and flax seeds in your bread. All seeds, nuts, beans, and legumes are healthy for diabetics. And if its healthy for diabetics, it is also healthy for non-diabetics.
    I came across your website by accident, while researching a chia/millet/flax seed bread I bought at Trader’s Joe. It tastes great and the seeds in it are good for health. HEALTH and healthy foods are imperative to a America that eats poorly and are in poor health due to their poor diet.

Leave a Comment

Rate this recipe: