Question: Does this grain look like something a bird would eat?

If you answered, yes, you’re correct. The grain above is called millet and is one of the oldest foods known to humans. It has been around since 2700 B.C. and is considered to be one of the first grains to be produced domestically. Millet didn’t make its way to the U.S. until the late 1800’s and primarily was used to feeds birds and cattle.

Scientists recently discovered that millet is another super food, containing Phytochemicals, which lower cholesterol and Phytate, which helps reduce cancer.

There are many ways to cook millet. You can ground into flour to be used for baking. Boil it whole in chicken stock and mix the fluffy grain into casseroles or soups. Toast it in a skillet to make a topping for a salad. Since I am always looking for new for new ways to have a healthy breakfast, I thought I would bake you some muffins today.

When baked, millet provides a mild-nutty flavor to baked goods. In this case, I am going to leave the millet whole and lightly incorporate into the batter. I want to provide some texture to the muffins so by leaving the millet whole, it gives it more of a cornbread consistenancy.

Once of out the oven and eaten, these muffins provide a warmth to your stomach from the millet and a sweetness from the honey. All of which make me happy in the morning.

Print Recipe

Millet Muffins

Yield: Makes 12 muffins

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup raw millet
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup plain yogurt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup honey
1 lemon zested
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Spray a 12-cup muffing pan with non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix together flour, millet, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another large bowl, mix together your wet ingredients - yogurt, eggs, butter, honey, lemon zest and juice. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in thirds. Pour batter equally among the muffin cups, about 1/4 cup goes into each. Bake for about 15 minutes. Cool before serving.

recipe from 101 Cookbooks

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