By MaryAnne Musilo and Wairimu Gokenye

Tony Mulando is one of a new generation of bakers in western Kenya working to invent the perfect millet bread, as wheat bread drives the country’s diabetes ever higher and drains its cash on imported cereals.

Around 92 per cent of the wheat used to make bread in Kenya is imported, with local wheat farmers facing ever more difficulty with pests, particularly rust, some of which has now had its only pesticide removed countrywide.

The imported wheat is also driving up diabetes, A 2020 study published in Nutrients found too much wheat flour increased insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and obesity, as  processing stripped away fibre and micronutrients and left behind a fast-digesting starch that spikes blood sugar levels.

By contrast, millet grows readily and abundantly in Kenya, alleviates diabetes and is highly nutritious.

It’s a benefit package that started Tony experimenting with millet as an alternative after two decades of working in Eldoret with wheat flour.

“Cooking is an art. You have to keep learning what works,” he said.

His challenge has been that millet is gluten-free, meaning it lacks the elasticity and rise that wheat brings. To help the dough hold together, he has been blending the millet with a bit of wheat flour.

“I’ve been experimenting with cassava flour too,” he said. “It gives the bread a crunch that people like, and I top it with sesame seeds for extra nutrition.”

On the face of it, his new, tasty millet bread should be a big hit.

“In Western Kenya, people have always valued millet, and now there’s a renewed interest as they become aware of the way foods like wheat are giving them lifestyle diseases,” said Tony.

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“People living with diabetes tell me the millet bread doesn’t leave them feeling tired or heavy like white bread does, and that it is easier on their system.”

But the relative rarity of millet flour processing is making the grain, which is readily available in Kenya, into expensive flour.

A 2kg pack of millet flour costs around Sh350, compared to about Sh180 to Sh200 for wheat flour and Sh100 to Sh130 for maize flour.

“It’s more expensive because it’s made from the whole grain. It hasn’t gone through the same processing as wheat, so you’re getting the full value, and most if the processing is artisanal, which is also more costly,” he said.

“Because I blend it with cassava or wheat, the cost goes up even more, mesning not many people are using it yet. It is just not pocket-friendly.”

This makes orders. “few and far between”, he said. “in May now, I have a customer lined up for June, but it’s not at all consistent.”

Yet the nutrition in millet is outstanding. It contains fiber, magnesium, calcium, and iron, and has a significantly lower glycemic index than wheat, making it  useful for managing blood sugar in diabetic patients, according to a 2021 study in Frontiers in Nutrition.

“It’s also really good for children, especially during weaning and early growth,” said Tony. “Some of my clients specifically ask for it for their kids.”

Calcium is essential for bone growth and finger millet contains 10 times the calcium of rice and wheat, according to study published in the Journal of Food Science and Technology in 2016.

 “In a country where wheat flour is a staple, used in everything from chapati and mandazi to birthday cakes and buns, it’s important that we are working to develop other grains,” said Tony.

His recipe for his millet bread is:

Ingredients

• 15g  dry yeast + 1 table spoon of castor sugar

• About 300ml to 340ml lukewarm water 

• 1 table spoon sugar

• 450g (Millet flour 150g, Whole meal flour 250g and White flour 50g)

• A pinch of salt

• 25g lard

Procedure

• In 150ml of water, add castor sugar and yeast then stir. Leave it for about 15 minutes until it becomes frothy.

• Mix sugar, flour and salt and rub in the lard. Add the yeast-liquid and remaining water and mix well with wooden spoon to give a fairly soft dough (adding more water if necessary).

• Knead it for about 5- 10 minutes on a floured board to get an extra smooth dough.

• Divide the dough into two and put into greased 450g tins.

• Cover them with a kitchen towel and leave to rise in a warm place of about 28°C / 75°F until the bread fills the tins.

• Bake in oven at 230°C / 450°F , for about 10 mins, reduce the heat to 200°C / 400°F and cook further for 40 minutes.

• After 40 mins, your loaves will be ready.

Remove from the tins and transfer to a cooling rack until no longer warm to the touch.