The Simplest Apple Millet Bake
This apple millet bake is a recipe I'd keep in mind when I need a VERY simple way to use millet. It's naturally sweet from the apple juice and apples, with no added sugar. In Slovenia, this dish is called proseni narastek, and this apple version is a traditional-style dish you can serve for breakfast, a snack, or a simple dessert.
It only needs a handful of ingredients, and there's no need to cook the millet on the stovetop first. You just rinse the millet, grate the apples, and add everything right to the baking dish with the apple juice.
If you enjoy trying traditional Central European recipes, you might also want to take a look at my traditional apple zucchini strudel and traditional struklji (rolled dumplings with quark).
Summarize & Adapt This Recipe On:
Quick Look
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Bulk Fermentation: N/A
- Final Proof: N/A
- Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Servings: 8-10
- Difficulty: Easy
- Baking Method: Oven-baked
- Best For: breakfast, snack, or simple dessert
Jump to:
- Summarize & Adapt This Recipe On:
- Quick Look
- Important Ingredients
- Substitutions & Variations
- How to Make Apple Millet Bake
- Baking Schedule
- 💭Crucial Success Tips
- Recipe FAQs
- How To Store Apple Millet Bake
- Other Delicious Breakfast Recipes
- The Simplest Apple Millet Bake
- Need Help Tweaking This Recipe?
- Other European Recipes You'll Love
- Fresh Milled Einkorn Kaiserschmarrn (Shredded Pancake)
- Traditional Ričet (Barley and Bean Stew with Smoked Meat)
- Simple Summer Cake Bars with Berries
Important Ingredients
- millet is the main ingredient that cooks right in the apple juice and gives the bake its soft, hearty texture.
- apple juice provides the liquid needed to cook the millet and adds natural sweetness to the dish.
- apples add moisture, sweetness, and small pieces of apple throughout the bake.
- salt helps balance the sweetness and brings out the apple flavor.
- butter used to grease the baking dish so the bake is easier to remove after cooking.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Use 100% apple juice for the natural sweetness. Avoid apple drinks with lots of added sugar or other flavors.
- For apples, you can use sweet or slightly tart apples. I'm really not picky here: usually the most funny looking or almost bad apples go into this!
- You can grease the dish with a little oil if you prefer not to use butter (spray oils work really well too for this!).
- Use whole millet rather than millet flour or cooked millet, since the dry grains are meant to cook directly in the apple juice.
- For spices, you can add ½ teaspoon of cinnamon, some vanilla, and some people even like to put lemon flavor in there, usually by grating the lemons.
- You can mix chopped walnuts or almonds in too, if you want to make it mor interesting.
- You can add a handful of raisins if you enjoy a little extra sweetness and texture.
How to Make Apple Millet Bake
Step 1: Rinse the millet thoroughly. Add the millet to a bowl and fill it with fresh water. Swish the grains around, pour off the cloudy water, and repeat until the water is mostly clear. A good rinse helps get rid of the bitterness millet has naturally. (Image 1)
Step 2: Prepare the baking dish. Generously grease a 12 × 8-inch (30 × 20 cm) baking dish with butter. Grate the apples (Image 2).
Step 3: Add the ingredients. Add the rinsed millet directly to the baking dish, followed by the salt, apple juice, and coarsely grated apples (Image 3).
Step 4: Mix. Give everything a quick stir with a fork to distribute the millet and apples evenly (Image 4). There's no need to mix much.
Step 5: Bake. Bake uncovered at 180°C (350°F) for about 1 hour 15 minutes, until the millet is tender and has absorbed the apple juice (Image 5).
Step 6: Let it set and serve. This is important! Don't cut into the millet bake as soon as it comes out of the oven. Let it cool for a little while so it has time to firm up. It doesn't need to cool completely-you can absolutely serve it warm (just not hot). Cut into squares and serve warm or at room temperature (Image 6).
Hint: For a smoother preparation, rinse the millet first and grate the apples while the oven is heating. Once everything is ready, you can simply add it all to the greased baking dish and give it a quick stir.
Baking Schedule
- 8:00 AM - rinse millet
- 8:10 AM - grease dish and grate apples
- 8:15 AM - add all ingredients
- 8:20 AM - stir and bake
- 9:35 AM - cool and set
- 9:55 AM - slice and serve
💭Crucial Success Tips
Rinse the millet really well. Millet can have a naturally bitter taste if it isn't rinsed properly. Keep changing the water until it is almost clear.
Recipe FAQs
No. That's one of the handy things about this recipe. The rinsed dry millet goes straight into the baking dish with the apple juice and grated apples.
Rinsing removes some of the compounds on the outside of the grains that can give millet a bitter flavor. Keep rinsing until the water is mostly clear.
Yes. You can bake it ahead and let it cool before covering and refrigerating it. It can then be served cold, at room temperature, or gently warmed.
How To Store Apple Millet Bake
Let the apple millet bake cool before storing it. Place leftovers in an airtight container or cover the baking dish tightly and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Other Delicious Breakfast Recipes
- The Simplest Apple Millet Bake
- Fresh Milled Sourdough English Muffins (Same Day or Overnight)
- Fresh Milled Chocolate Banana Bread
- Cinnamon Roll Sourdough French Toast
If you tried this apple millet bake or any other recipe on my blog please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below! Happy Baking!
The Simplest Apple Millet Bake
Equipment
- 1 12 × 8-inch (30 × 20 cm) baking dish , or a similar-sized baking dish
Ingredients
- 260 g millet
- 1 liter 4 ¼ cups apple juice
- 2 large or 3 medium apples coarsely grated
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- Butter for greasing the baking dish
Instructions
- Rinse the millet thoroughly. Add the millet to a bowl and fill it with fresh water. Swish the grains around, pour off the cloudy water, and repeat until the water is mostly clear. A good rinse helps get rid of the bitterness millet has naturally.
- Prepare the baking dish. Generously grease a 12 × 8-inch (30 × 20 cm) baking dish with butter. Grate the apples.
- Add the ingredients. Add the rinsed millet directly to the baking dish, followed by the salt, apple juice, and coarsely grated apples.
- Mix. Give everything a quick stir with a fork to distribute the millet and apples evenly. There's no need to mix much.
- Bake. Bake uncovered at 180°C (350°F) for about 1 hour 15 minutes, until the millet is tender and has absorbed the apple juice.
- Let it set and serve. This is important! Don't cut into the millet bake as soon as it comes out of the oven. Let it cool for a little while so it has time to firm up. It doesn't need to cool completely-you can absolutely serve it warm (just not hot). Cut into squares and serve warm or at room temperature.
