Millet muffins from the Metropolitan Bakery Cookbook

Several years ago, I spent some time working at a medical school. It was the kind of job where there were lots of morning meetings and at least once a week I found myself trekking to other schools for some planning powwow. One of the few benefits to these meetings were that the host school often served breakfast-y treats. Most of the time it was just an assortment of dough-y bagels or supermarket donuts, but once, someone was feeling generous and picked up muffins from Metropolitan Bakery. And it was at that meeting that I discovered the millet muffin.

These muffins aren't fancy. They are a basic combination of flour, sugar, butter and eggs, but something happens when you add in that toasted millet that transforms those simple ingredients into something amazing. The resulting muffins are nutty and have wholesome feeling, with a nice yielding crunch. Ever since I acquired a copy of the Metropolitan Bakery Cookbook, I've been meaning to try making a batch in my little kitchen (instead of running down to the bakery to satisfy a craving), but until a couple of nights ago, I just hadn't made the time to do it.

Now, knowing that I can make them on my own, they are the only thing I want to eat. Scott agrees (he also made off with the last one this morning). The recipe, which would make a perfect Saturday morning treat, is after the jump.

Metropolitan Bakery Millet Muffins
This recipe makes 24 muffins. I halved it, knowing that we didn't need to be tempted to eat that many muffins in just a few days.

4 cups all-purpose flour (I substituted whole wheat pastry flour)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups millet, lightly toasted* and cooled
6 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar

Preheat over to 375 degrees. Butter 24 muffin-pan cups.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Stir in millet. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and vanilla.

In the bowl of a mixer with paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. At low speed, add the flour mixture alternately with the egg mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Take care not to over mix.

Spoon batter evenly into the prepared muffin-pan cups. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, rotating the pans between the upper and lower oven racks half way through. Bake until a wooden skewer comes out clean. Cool for five minutes and then remove from pan and continue to cool on a wire rack.

*toast the millet by spreading it out on a cookie sheet and baking it in a 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. Every three or four minutes, take the pan out and give it a careful shake, to make sure that every kernel of millet gets toasted.