Grains, rice & flours · Gluten-free flours
Pearl millet flour
Grey, earthy flour from pearl millet (bajra, mahangu); gluten-free, used for flatbreads and stiff porridges.
Also called: millet flour, mahangu flour, bajra flour, pearl millet meal
Around the world: mahangu (ng) · bajra atta (hi)
A kind of millet
What it is
Pearl millet flour is ground from whole bajra grains and is grey-green to beige. It has no gluten, so bajra rotis are patted out by hand with warm water rather than rolled, and they crack easily. In Namibia and across the Sahel it is cooked with water into stiff porridges. Its oils mean it goes stale quickly.
Pennisetum glaucum
How it’s used
- Bajra roti and bhakri
- Mahangu and other stiff porridges
- Fermented drinks and gruels
- Mixed into multigrain flours
Characteristics
- Taste
- Earthy, slightly bitter, nutty.
- When cooked
- Knead with warm water just before cooking; the dough does not hold well.
- Sold as
- ground
- Cooking uses
- Commonly cooked, Suitable for baking
- Common in
- Indian, Gujarati, Namibian, Nigerian, Malian, West African, Senegalese
Storage
Refrigerated. Turns bitter and rancid quickly; buy small amounts and keep airtight in the fridge or freezer.
Diet, allergens and safety
No major allergens in typical versions.
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Dairy-free
- Egg-free
- Gluten-free
- Nut-free
- Soy-free
- Caffeine-free
- Naturally gluten-free.
Nutrition per 100 g
- Energy
- 382 kcal
- Protein
- 10.75 g
- Carbohydrate
- 75.12 g
- Fat
- 4.25 g
- Fibre
- 3.5 g
- Sugars
- 1.66 g
USDA FoodData Central: Millet flour.
Substitutes
Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.
- Sorghum meal — Close in use and texture; milder.
Related ingredients
Recipes with pearl millet flour
Bajra raab
Indian · 14 min · 175 kcal · VegetarianBajra roti
Indian · 40 min · 221 kcal · VegetarianFura da nono
Nigerien · 1 h · 322 kcal · VegetarianOshifima
Namibian · 22 min · 287 kcal · VeganThiakry
Senegalese · 1 h 55 min · 296 kcal · Vegetarian
Tô with okra sauce
Malian · 1 h 35 min · 662 kcalZoom-koom
Burkinabè · 1 h 15 min · 157 kcal · Vegan
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