G'Gina's Kitchenette: Millet or Bajra

Happy New Year readers. I have had a good start to the year meeting friends of old and family. I feel blessed to have moved to our new location which is giving me a chance to meet lots of wonderful people from my life with many more to come in the days ahead. This is why you haven't heard from me since Boxing Day.

These days a lot of diets have non-gluten ingredients to make a way for those who are gluten intolerant. Although initially I thought of making these muffins using only Sorghum, I added in the Pearl Millet in small quantities and glad that I did so, as it adds some texture making it seem crunchy. Loved the reaction of my tasters. I had my daughter who at first point blank did not like it as it seemed too healthy to another toddler (Mahi) who downed two muffins as he loved it to another doll (Riddhi) also who pretty much gobbled it up as her mum said. So you know that with kids this muffin could go either ways. The adults all seemed to have liked it even though it was butterless, 'refined' flourless and colour wise looked different from your regular muffins.In fact one of the tasters who does not like banana in her muffins surprisingly did not notice the banana until it was pointed out to her. There were others who pointed out that the muffins tasted like a prasadam (holy food) they received from the temple. They did not particularly like it though they said it was edible and would be enjoyed by health freaks and kids whose parents were health conscious.

Sorghum or Jowar has heaps of health benefits including but not restricted to protection against diabetes, insulin resistance, inhibit cancer tumour growth, safe for people with celiac disease as it is gluten free, manages cholesterol and is known to help treat human melanoma.

Pearl Millet or Bajra (the poor man's grain) is an excellent source of protein and fiber with easy to digest amino acids than the ones found in wheat. It helps reduce cholesterol, maintains good heart health, reduces blood pressure and lowers the risks of heart attacks. Rich in phosphorous which is a constituent of lipid-containing structures such as cell membranes and the nervous system.Apparently recent studies have also declared Pearl millets to help prevent gallstones in women. It also increases insulin sensitivity and reduces triglycerides. It also provides protection against breast cancer in pre-menopausal women and reduces the occurence of asthma and wheezing in children. It also reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes and hormone dependent cancers.However do not overdo your Millet intake as there are risks involved owing to low iodine content and resultant goiter. You could include it in your daily diet in small quantities.

I must admit I was seriously nervous and fascinated at the same time to try out these flours in making a baked bread (vs. a flatbread) as I have never used either Bajra or Jowar as a baked bread. Flatbread yes I have tried both Bajra and Jowar separately and together as well. So I cannot tell you how pleased I was with the result of these muffins. All thanks to Robin Beck of A Shaggy Dough Story who chose this fabulous theme of 'Ancient Grains' for the first month of 2016 Bread Bakers's event. Thanks Robin.

Since the relocation of homes, I did not see either these flours or grains at our present local market so I had my hubby bring the flour and grain from his recent work travel. Sorghum was available as a flour but the Pearl Millet had to be ground. Thanks Stacy for the guidance to grind my own flour :) The Pearl Millet has this really interesting fragrance when pounded as well. *4. Check notes

Cashews or almonds are optional. Here for just two of the muffins I added the cashews that my mum had chopped herself and soaked for Christmas 2015 (I ate them on my own :( ). She had it soaked for a while as she didn't make Christmas cake the year before as my grandma had passed on. I am treasuring that bowl of soaked cashews.

On with the make..

What you need:

1/2 cup Sorghum Flour / Jowar Flour , sifted
1/4 cup Pearl Millet Flour / Bajra flour, sifted *1. Check notes
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking soda
6-7 tbsp Sugar *2. Check notes
1/2 cup Oil *3. Check notes
Pinch of Salt
1/2 tsp Vanilla Essence
Cashews or Almonds for topping (Optional)
3/4 cup of mashed bananas (of your choice)

The Make:
Prep Time: 10 mins | Cook time: 20 mins | Makes: 8 Muffins

1. Sift the flours together and blend in the salt, baking powder and baking soda. Let it rest for a while (at least 10 minutes).
2. In a large bowl, whisk the mashed bananas with the sugar, vanilla essence and oil until the sugar dissolves.
3. Next mix in the flour bit by bit to the whisked banana mixture until no traces of flour is seen.
4. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Meanwhile line your muffin tray with paper cups.
5. Spoon in the batter into each paper cup halfway leaving room for the batter to rise.
6. Sprinkle some chopped cashews or almonds on top.
7. Transfer the muffin tray to the oven rack and bake for 20 mins at 180°C.
8. Once baked, do a clean test with a toothpick and set aside for at least 10 minutes.

I kind of enjoyed these muffins warm. It depends on your taste buds really. I loved it especially once it came out of the oven and after the 10 minutes rest. If it gets too cold then just slightly heat it in the oven for a minute or less. These muffins are really light on your palate and does not leave a heavy after taste owing to the lack of gluten in the flours. Hope you enjoy making these as I did.

Notes:
1. Bajra seeds can be ground using a coffee grinder or a spices grinder
2. The Sugar can be adjusted depending on how sweet your bananas would be.
3. Preferably use an odourless oil like sunflower oil or corn oil.
4. For those of you in India and do not have either of these flours in your local market, you can get your Bajra or Jowar from Amazon, India. For those of you with an Amazon.com reach, try to get your Bajra or Jowar from their online portal.

This month's BreadBakers' theme is Ancient Grains, hosted by Robin at A Shaggy Dough Story. Ancient grains are generally accepted to mean grains that have remained largely unchanged/un-hybridized over the last several hundred years, which means NO MODERN WHEAT. Here's what our creative bakers came up with.

Ancient 4 Grain Breakfast Bread from Cindy's Recipes and Writings
Ancient Grain Carrot Bread from The Schizo Chef
Barley Flour Donut Muffins from I Camp in my Kitchen
Blueberry Peach Quinoa Oatmeal Muffins from Magnolia Days
Buckwheat Savoury Pancakes from Mayuri's Jikoni
Dimbleby's Breastfeeding Bread from Food Lust People Love
Eggless Sorghum and Pearl Millet Banana Muffins (Eggless Jowar and Bajra Banana Muffins) from G'Gina's Kitchenette
Foxtail Millet Bagels from Cooking Club
Garlic Cheesy Einkorn Crackers from The Wimpy Vegetarian
Injera Bread from Spiceroots
Little Millet Banana Bread from Sara's Tasty Buds
Millet Idli from Gayathri's Cook Spot
Quinoa Banana Bread from Wholistic Woman
Seeded Spelt Boules from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Spelt and Buckwheat Soda Bread from A Shaggy Dough Story
Spelt and Einkorn Sourdough with Caramelized Onions from Karen's Kitchen Stories
Spelt Bread from Hostess at Heart
Spelt Sweet Potato Paratha from Cook's Hideout
Teff Crepes with Spinach and Mushrooms from A Day in the Life on the Farm
Yeasted Jowar Naan from Sneha's Recipe

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the #BreadBakers home page.
We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send Stacy an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com.

Aha! The return of the Oat and Millet combo:) Well what can I say, this is a hero combo in terms of its nutrition factor. Millet in itself has so many nutritional benefits. Having this as a breakfast meal has many advantages as well. I have heard many people complain about migraines early in the morning. Well did you you know that Millet contains Magnesium that helps reduce the effects of migraines and even heart attacks. It is also alkaline which means that it is easily digested and you know what great wonders that does to your digestive system in the morning:)

Well not to get too scientific but let's not leave out our all too common oat bran which most of you already know is a "healthy-heart" cholestrol lowering food. I find that people with lactose intolerance normally avoid consuming cereals in the morning, simply because it becomes difficult for them to have cereals without milk. These oat bran recipes resulted since that realisation. It is important to have a high fiber meal in the morning as our body is able to digest it well then.

I had two of my usual diners, my hubby and my daughter when I whipped up this meal. So, naturally the Sweet is for my Sweetheart daughter and Savoury my darling hubster. Needless to say, both of them enjoyed their simple breakfast meal.

Savoury Pancake

Sweet pancakes

You need:

For both the sweet and savoury pancakes:

2 cups of oat bran (powdered)
1 cup of millet flour
2 tsp of salt
2 eggs
1 cup of milk (optional)/1 cup of filtered water
1 tbsp of cooking oil
2 tsp baking powder

For the sweet pancakes:

1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon powder

For the savoury pancakes:

1 medium sized onion, finely diced
2 green chilies, diced

The condiments:

For the savoury, you can serve it as is or with coconut chutney
For the sweet one, you can serve it with maple syrup, honey, chocolate syrup and chocolate chips, fresh fruits or nuts.

The make:
Makes 6 savoury pancakes, 3 sweet pancakes | Cooking Time :30 mins | Preparation Time: 15 mins

1. Combine all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl for the sweet and savoury pancakes combined.

2. Next whisk in the eggs, milk/water and oil and set aside to rest for 10 minutes.

3. Divide the batter into 3/4 for the savoury and 1/4 for the sweet pancakes in a separate bowl. I did this considering my little one's appetite. You can choose either way.

4. For the savoury, add the remaining ingredients and mix well.

5. For the sweet, add the remaining ingredients and mix well in the separate bowl.

6. Meanwhile, preheat two iron skillets or non-stick skillets on high. Grease the pans, using a paper kitchen towel dipped in cooking oil. Repeat this between pancakes until the batter is used up.

Cooking the pancake on one side

7. Lower the heat on both pans to medium-low and pour 1/4 cup of batter quantity using a ladle and pour in the center of the pan and spread the batter in clockwise fashion to a medium sized circle.

8. For the savoury, owing to the chilies and the onions, you make not be able to spread it out as much as it would lead to gaps and would not evenly spread the onion/chilies on one half or the other. You may need to either fill in the gaps or pour the batter evenly without the clockwise spreading technique.

9. Cook the pancake for 2 minutes on each side or until cooked and lightly browned.

10. Continue this process until all the batter is used.

If the alternating between sweet and savoury pans is too much, you can also do it one at a time. My mornings are usually a lot of juggle and multitasking so this technique works well for me.

11. Serve with the condiments of your choice or the suggested ones in this recipe.