A par-baked foxtail millet base with a crisp rim and a sturdy centre, made to be topped and finished whenever you want it.
Ingredients
From the TrooFoodz pantry
- Sprouted Foxtail Millet Flour 2.5 cups (about 300 g)
Fresh
- Warm water 1 cup
- Instant yeast 1.5 tsp
- Psyllium husk 2 tbsp
- Olive oil 3 tbsp
- Salt 1.5 tsp
- Tapioca starch 3 tbsp
- Semolina, for dusting 2 tbsp
Method
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Wake the yeast
Stir the yeast into the warm water and leave it ten minutes until it foams. Millet dough will not rise dramatically, but the yeast still builds flavour.
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Make the gel
Whisk the psyllium husk into the yeasted water and let it thicken to a soft gel before any flour goes in.
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Combine and rest
Fold in the millet flour, tapioca starch, salt and olive oil to a soft, tacky dough. Cover and rest an hour — the hydration matters far more than any rise.
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Shape by hand
Press the dough out on a semolina-dusted tray to about five millimetres. Build a slightly thicker rim, since a crust with no gluten network will not puff on its own.
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Dock the base
Prick the centre all over with a fork so steam escapes and the middle stays flat while the rim rises.
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Par-bake hot
Bake at 230C for 12 to 14 minutes until the surface is dry, the rim is set and the base slides freely.
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Cool for storage
Cool completely on a rack before topping or wrapping. Bases keep three days chilled, or a month frozen between sheets of paper.
Why this works
Par-baking is the honest solution for a base built without wheat: the crust needs a longer, drier bake than any topping would survive. Docking the centre stops steam pockets from lifting an unsupported middle. Tapioca starch adds the slight chew that millet flour alone cannot deliver, since there is no gluten to provide it.
Make it your own
- Sprouted Foxtail Millet Flour → Sprouted Jowar Flour Milder and paler, with a softer crumb; reduce the water by two tablespoons.
- Tapioca starch → Arrowroot flour Almost interchangeable, with a slightly less glossy surface.
- Instant yeast → Baking powder, 2 tsp Skips the rest entirely for a flatter, more cracker-like base.
