Millet Flour
What it is
Flour from various small-seeded millets — most notably pearl millet (bajra in India) and finger millet (ragi). Pale yellow-grey. Gluten-free.
How it's made
Millet grains are milled whole or refined; pearl millet flour (bajra) is greyish and assertive, ragi (finger millet) darker.
Flavor profile
Earthy, nutty, with a characteristic slight bitterness (especially bajra); finger millet is milder and more mineral.
Culinary uses
Indian bajra roti / bhakri (rustic winter flatbreads of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra), ragi mudde/ragi roti (South India), porridges, and gluten-free baking. As with all gluten-free flatbreads, the dough is bound with hot water and shaped by hand-patting rather than rolling, because there is no gluten to hold a stretched sheet.
Regional variations
Pearl millet (bajra) in northwest India and the Sahel (where it makes tô and couscous-like dishes); finger millet (ragi) in South India and East Africa; many other millets (foxtail, proso) regionally.
Cultural & historical context
Among the oldest domesticated grains, millets sustained early civilizations in China, India, and Africa before being displaced by rice and wheat. They are enjoying a major revival (the UN named 2023 the International Year of Millets) as nutritious, climate-resilient crops.
Reference notes
Tags: `cereal`, `gluten-free`, `millet`, `bajra`, `ragi`. Related ingredients: [Sorghum Flour], [Teff Flour]. Related cuisines: Indian, West African. Suggested links: → Bajra roti, → Ragi, → Ancient grains revival.