Millet-Whole Wheat Bread

Here's some any day bread for you. I say any day bread because it absorbs interruptions, forgetfulness, and haste alike, using whatever time you have (or don't have) to rise into a toothsome, earthy loaf. I've left the dough to rise overnight in the fridge one day and given it just a couple hours on the counter on another: each time has resulted in an absolutely chewy, hearty, peanut butter-friendly loaf of bread. The millet's texture gives bite while the sweet molasses takes the edge off what might otherwise turn into an overly wheat-y flavor.

I initially chose this recipe as a means for ridding myself of a half-bag of millet, past experiments  having produced a bland mass (excluding this casserole, where it performed rather well). Now I've got my favorite bread recipe du jour--a bundle of dough is in the freezer right now, waiting for me to finish up a bag of bagels.

Yeast doing its thing.

Adapted from the recipe Molasses Bread with Cooked Grains in Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison. I usually make a half-recipe.

Millet-Whole Wheat Bread

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups water

2 1/4 tsp. (1 package) active dry yeast

1/2 tsp. sugar

1/4 cup molasses

3 TBSP vegetable oil

2 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups cooked millet
2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
3-4 cups whole wheat flour

Directions
--Heat 1/4 cup of the water to wrist temperature. Pour into a bowl with the yeast and sugar. Let sit until yeast is bubbling, about 10 minutes.
--Mix together remaining water, molasses, oil, salt, and cooked cereal. Stir in the proofed yeast, then add the all-purpose flour and two cups of the whole wheat. Stir with a spoon until a dough begins to form, adding more whole wheat flour to make a dough that holds together but is still a little sticky. Knead with your hands for 10-15 minutes, until the dough feels smooth.
--Place dough in a warm place (such as an oven with the oven light on, or in a sunny spot) and let rise at least one hour.
--Divide dough into two pieces and shape each into either a round boule, placed on an ungreased cookie sheet, or a rectangle, placed in a greased loaf pan. Let rise a second time, about 40 minutes.
Note: These rise times are very flexible. You'll want the dough to rise for at least one hour the first time and for at least fifteen minutes once shaped into loaves. Beyond that, let your availability dictate the process. You can swap the second rise for overnight refrigeration or let it sit for several hours during the first or second rise.
--Bake the bread at 375 degrees F for 40-55 minutes, until the bottom sounds hollow when tapped. If baked in a bread pan, et cool at least 15 minutes before removing from pan.