AuthorSteve Nubie
Barley is an ancient grain and bread recipes using barley go back as far as the Sumerians and the Egyptians. It was also the standard flour for bread recipes in medieval Europe into the Middle-East and Africa. Contrary to popular belief, barley flour is not gluten free. In fact, is has a relatively high amount of gluten which helps with both rising and baking.
However, the gluten levels are less than bread flour so we’re going to blend barley flour and bread flour to give this bread its best rise. Brown sugar also feeds the yeast and it adds a nice color and flavor to the loaf. Barley bread is great with a robust meal like a stew or a rich, gravy meal or sauce.
Add all ingredients to the bread in the order indicated and select the whole-wheat cycle, 2-pound loaf and medium crust.
When done, cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, slice and serve.
Ingredients
Directions
Add all ingredients to the bread in the order indicated and select the whole-wheat cycle, 2-pound loaf and medium crust.
When done, cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, slice and serve.
Hello. I used a 50/50 mix of barley and 100% whole red wheat. It did not rise very much. The red wheat states Bread Flour on the package, but maybe that is misleading or I am not understanding exactly what bread flour is.? Would going back to your recommended recipe and using a whole packet of yeast (2-1/4 tsp) maybe help reduce the density? Or should I use something other than my red wheat? It tasted fine but would like to improve my next loaf. Thanks for your time.
I used this recipe last night and it came out really well. Do you happen to know the nutritional information for this bread?
Do a Google search for “nutrition facts.” It takes you to a website that gives you the nutritional value of specific ingredients.
Hope that helps,
Steve
Sounds like a great recipe, but is it vegan?
Yes. There are no animal products in the ingredients.
Steve
When I make whole wheat bread I use all whole wheat four. For a 4 pound loaf I added 2 T vital whole wheat gluten. The loaf comes out about the same as using white flour only. It also has a great taste.
Great idea. The vital gluten really helps.
Steve
Hi Steve
How about using 2 cups barley and 2 cups bread flour. Would adding baking powder help it rise?
Could we use honey instead of sugar?
Thanks
Hi Mohammed,
You’re fine with the 2 cups of barley flour and 2 cups of bread flour. The bread flour has the most gluten of any flour so that should help the rise. You could try adding baking powder but yeast breads usually don’t need it. And yes, you can substitute honey for sugar in equal proportions.
Hope that helps,
Steve
How much gluten should I add if I only use barley flour?
Try 2 tablespoons of vital gluten. If you think you need more, try 2 1/2 tablespoons.
Hope that helps,
Steve
I used 2 cups white flour and one cup wheat, and a bit less salt since I’m low sodium. It came out GREAT! Very tasty! Will do this again.
Method not very specific.
And no baking temperatures or timing?
Recipe very vague!!!!
It’s a bread machine recipe. The settings in the recipe for a bread machine are very specific.
Can i use whole wheat flour instead of bread flour?
Hi,
Yes but you may have a problem with the rise. Bread flour is very high in gluten which helps a bread to rise. Wheat flour is very low in gluten. You also want to have a 100% wheat bread setting on your machine. You could try adding more yeast, maybe an extra ½ teaspoon, but don’t be surprised if your bread is very dense. You’re better off finding a dedicated whole wheat recipe rather than trying to simply substitute one flour for another.
Hi Steve
Is there a recipe for barley bread which has only barley flour and no other flour in it
Hi, yes, you can make barley bread using only barley flour. Instead of adding 3 cups of bread flour to the recipe, just use 4 total cups of barley flour. But be forewarned. Barley flour has very little gluten which yeast needs to rise. You should still add the yeast but it will have less of an effect on the rise of the loaf. Your result will be a crisp, flatbread. It will taste good and has a very rustic appearance, taste and texture but it will be quite dense.