Mill-it!

Day 101: It's been a while since I found out that Bob's Red Mill produced a millet flour, and I have to admit I've gotten a little spoiled by having it at my fingertips, ready-made. I used to buy millet in bulk, and although I sometimes used the whole seed in crackers, my primary use for it is as flour, notably substituting it for a portion of the bread flour called for in my favourite sourdough loaf. With Bob's Red Mill in easy reach, the last of my whole seed migrated to the back of the refrigerator freezer and only came to the forefront in response to a sub-vocal question about the contents of the container. "Oh!" said I. "I should grind that and use it up." Thus you see today's project: turning four cups of whole millet into flour. It should only take an hour or so, allowing time for the grain mill to cool down between batches.

Roll Out The Crackers!

Makeup Day 5: If you agree with me that homemade bread beats store-bought by a country mile, you should try homemade crackers! They're rather a bit of a bother to make, given the yield and the fact that they disappear all too quickly, but well worth the work for an occasional indulgence. My favourite recipe comes from a book titled appropriately, "Crackers!" which is now out of print. The nutty flavour of millet flour gives these crackers their character, and a sprinkling of whole millet provides texture and crunch as well as serving as an indicator to tell you when you've rolled them out to the proper thickness.

You will need
1/4 cup of whole millet
1/2 cup millet flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup shortening
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. milk
1 Tbsp. honey

Preheat the oven to 350°. Stir the flours, whole millet and salt together in a large bowl. Cut in the shortening until the mixture is the texture of coarse meal. Warm the milk and honey in a small saucepan and add it to the flour mixture. Stir with a fork until the dough holds together in a ball. Give it a few quick kneads by hand, but don't overdo it or you will toughen the dough.

Divide the dough into two parts. Roll each part out on a floured surface and cut into shapes or squares. You will know when you've rolled them out thinly enough because you'll begin hearing grains of millet crack beneath your rolling pin. Ideally, they should be only as thick as one grain of millet. Place the crackers on a parchment-lined baking sheet and prick each one three or four times.

Baking times can be variable. "Crackers!" says to cook them 10 minutes on each side, but I have found this browns them too much. I give them 8-9 minutes before turning them, and then 7-8 minutes on the second side. Watch them carefully and adjust the time for your own oven. Cool, and serve with a lavish application of real butter.

Birdseed Isn't Just For Birds

Day 32: Put away the Cheez-its, Wheat Thins and Ry-Krisp and join me for some birdseed! Millet crackers are delicious, especially when slathered with real butter. It's been a while since I made crackers, and home-baked can't be beat.

The recipe for these nutty delights comes from Linda Foust and Tony Husch's cookbook, "Crackers!" It is out of print, but can occasionally be found through Amazon or your local used book dealer.

You will need
1/4 cup whole millet
1/2 cup millet flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
5/8 cup (1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp.) milk
1 Tbsp. honey

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Stir together the millet, flours and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Warm the milk and honey in a small saucepan and add it to the flour mixture, blending to form a dough which holds together in a ball. If necessary, you may add a little more milk.

Divide the dough into two portions and roll out on a floured surface. You want it to be thin (no more than 1/8 inch, or approximately as thick as the diameter of a millet grain). Cut out circles with a cookie cutter and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Prick each cracker three times with a fork.

Bake for 10 minutes, then turn crackers over and bake for an additional 8-12 minutes or until medium brown. Serve with butter and enjoy!

Grow Your Own

 Day 349: Every year, my little avian friends try their beaks at raising a crop of birdseed in my flower beds. The issue is proximity to the feeders. As they scatter seed, some of it inevitably makes its way into the garden, and as casual as I am about weeding, pulling only the most obvious offenders after the first few serious eradications have been performed, something nearly always escapes my watchful eye. In fact, while in the living room yesterday, I noticed a suspicious-looking plant which had come up taller than the window sill, i.e., topping three feet in height. I went out for a closer look and although I'm not positive, it looked to me like a Burdock, and most undesirable. The seed likely had been transported on my boots after a patrol of my Land Trust beat in Ohop Valley where it is prevalent. Hitching a ride is a favorite tactic of invasives. In any event, I uprooted it and then bent to pull some of the "corn" sown by the birds. There, amid other greenery, were several sprays of millet almost at maturity. I am betting that Farmer Jay is keeping a close eye on his crop, anxiously awaiting the day when those tiny seeds are perfect for harvest. Perhaps if I leave them for his enjoyment, he'll leave a few grapes on the vine for me.