Flour has proven itself to be a useful and integral ingredient for many recipes, and various types of flour can serve different purposes in recipes.
One unique type of flour is millet flour but if you have not heard of it, you may be wondering what millet flour is. I did the research, and here is what I learned!
What Is Millet Flour?
Millet flour is made from millet, and millet flour is a fairly mild-tasting flour that can be used in many recipes, especially if you need a gluten-free alternative for flour. Generally, millet flour tastes mild, but millet flour is great for many baking recipes like pancakes and cupcakes since millet flour creates a soft, light, and tender texture.
Do you want to learn more about how to make millet flour, what millet flour is used for, and if millet flour is wheat? Keep reading!
What Does Millet Flour Taste Like?
Millet flour may taste mildly sweeter than other types of flour, and millet flour may taste somewhat similar to corn.
Depending on how the millet flour was made and used, your millet flour may provide a slightly nutty flavor.
However, millet flour is generally regarded as a mild-tasting flour so you may not notice a significant difference in flavor when you use millet flour in your recipes, especially since millet flour is good at absorbing other ingredients’ flavors.
What Is Millet Flour Made Out Of?
Millet flour is created from ground millet, which is a grain from the grass family.
Is Millet Flour A Wheat?
Firstly, millet flour is not wheat because millet flour is made from millet, which is a type of grass and not wheat.
Moreover, most people refer to millet as a cereal grain, making millet more similar to rice than wheat.
Is There A Difference Between Millet And Millet Flour?
A difference between millet and millet flour is their preparation and uses since millet is a grain whereas millet flour is a powdery flour made from ground millet.
Therefore, millet and millet flour are almost the same thing since grinding millet creates millet flour, but you would need to properly prepare your millet if you want to use the millet as millet flour.
What Is Millet Flour Used For?
Generally, millet flour can be used in many recipes that call for flour, especially if you want a gluten-free option.
However, millet flour may be popularly used in recipes that need to be tender and soft, such as pancakes and muffins.
Is Millet Flour Good For Baking?
Millet flour is excellent for baking since one of the primary uses for millet flour is to be in baked goods.
For instance, if you are looking for a light, soft, and tender pancake, switching heavier wheat-based flours for millet flour can help you achieve that.
Can I Make My Own Millet Flour?
You can make millet flour, and it may be better to make your own millet flour since it can be hard to find millet flour in stores and millet flour can go bad quickly.
To make millet flour, find hulled millet since hulled millet is easier to find in stores and easier to grind since unhulled millet will be tough.
Next, place a cup of the hulled millet into a high-speed blender and blend the millet for 30 seconds on high-speed.
Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of your blender then blend the millet again for 30 seconds, repeating this process until the millet is a fine powder.
Now, use a fine-mesh sieve to sift the millet flour into a bowl to separate the ground millet from the larger pieces, and this step is crucial to achieving perfectly ground millet flour.
Finally, put the larger millet pieces from the sieve back into the blender and blend the millet again, sieving and blending until all the millet is ground.
Is Millet Flour Gluten-Free?
Millet flour is naturally gluten-free flour because millet flour is made from millet, not wheat.
Most types of flour that contain wheat, rye, or barley contain gluten but millet flour is made from a type of grass, so millet is completely gluten-free.
However, it is always best to check the manufacturer of your millet flour before you use it, especially if you are very sensitive to gluten.
Some manufacturers can mix millet flour with other gluten-containing flours or the millet flour can be contaminated with gluten during production, especially if the factory creates gluten-containing products.
Is Millet Flour Good For Diabetics?
Millet flour can be good for diabetics because millet has a low glycemic index, which means that millet flour is unlikely to raise your blood sugar levels.
For example, one study proved that diabetics who ate millet-based breakfasts instead of rice-based breakfasts had lower blood sugar levels after they ate.
However, that does not mean diabetic people can eat too much millet flour since most diabetics need to watch how much food they eat in one go.
Can I Use Millet Flour Instead Of All-Purpose Flour?
Generally, you can use millet flour as a replacement for all-purpose flour, and you can often use an equal amount of millet flour for all-purpose flour.
However, you may want to mix the millet flour with other flour variants if you want to use millet flour to make bread and muffins.
What Is A Good Substitute For Millet Flour?
If you want a substitute for millet flour that is also gluten-free, you can go for mild-tasting alternatives like rice flour, montina flour, amaranth flour, and sorghum flour.
If you simply want a replacement for millet flour that is not gluten-free, regular wheat flour can do the job.
If you want to learn what blanched almond flour is, what besan flour is, and what barja flour is, read our related articles.
Conclusion
Millet flour is a gluten-free flour made from millet, and millet flour is generally regarded as a mild-tasting flour that can make recipes have a light and tender texture.
You can create your own millet flour by blending millet, or you could opt for alternatives to millet such as rice flour and wheat flour.