May 4, 2012 - 11:45am
Pearl barley in bread. Raw or cooked
I heard that pearl barley is good added to a seeded bread. Can anybody tell me if the pearl barley needs cooking before adding to the dough?
Thanks!
Damp Patch
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I heard that pearl barley is good added to a seeded bread. Can anybody tell me if the pearl barley needs cooking before adding to the dough?
Thanks!
Damp Patch
3 cups of water to 1 cup of barley in about 10 to 15 minutes. That might make a big difference if little moisture is available in the dough to soften raw barley while baking. Maybe a good soaking is good enough.
Thanks Mini Oven,
Does that chage the hydration of the bread. Will i need to use less water when making the dough?
you should be alright. Think of them as adding chopped nuts. You will know more when you add them to the rest of the dough. You can hold back a little water and correct if needed while mixing or stirring. A good suggestion if the recipe doesn't call for the barley. If you add a large amount of pearl barley, be sure to add a little more salt.
>>>If you add a large amount of pearl barley, be sure to add a little more salt. <<<
I've recently become interested in experimenting with the addition of pearl barley to my multigrain seeded load, and would like to know why the amount of salt requires compensation. How would the amount of compensation be determined.
I'm also curious as to whether there is a consensus as to whether the barley should be hydrated or not when added to the loaf.
Looking forward to your feedback!
Like figuring salt for flour, anywhere from 1 to 2% depending on your preferences. Cooked barley has the ability to act like a water roux. Soaked in salt water might give the barley some retainable shape for the crumb if desired. Might want to toast the little things in some butter before tossing into the dough for more flavour. You are only limited by your imagination. :)
I've written two previous posts but lost them with one click of the mouse trying to edit a misspelling. Sorry, I think it is my end of the net mack keeper adds keep interfering and I need a block of time to purge my computer of the nasty ad. Whatever you do, don't click on their ads, they are a pain in the bread buns. I had to use a misspelling just to erase their link from this paragraph.
Mini
Thank you for the info, Mini! First test loaf with the pearled barley tomorrow.
Hello! Mini Oven!
I assume you know very well about whole grains. I'll try to bake sourdough bread with sprouted grains and there are some questions.
*Should I boil sprouted wheat berries before mixing with the dough? or just well drain excess water and dry them?
*If I add grains or sprouted grains like hull-less barley, wheat berry and craked rye to sourdough bread recipes, how much grains can I mix to the dough? I'd like to know the ratio of grains and flour.
I'm very new to baking bread with sourdough starter. 4th May when I first baked sourdough bread with my own starter and then took part in this useful site to get more infomation.
Thanks!
Ako
Up to you and your recipe how heavy you like your bread. Minimum flour amount can be just enough flour to hold the dough together. Sprouts contain a high amount of moisture (unless you dry them) and I wouldn't be worried about well drained sprouts changing the dough hydration, just add them in.
They also contain a fair amount of enzymes and depending on the stage of the sprout, will speed up your dough fermentation. I've found that cooking them ahead of time will sweeten their taste and hamper the amylase (for the better) if you plan a long retard or overnight rise. Dabrownman knows more about this than myself, hopefully will jump in here with his wisdom.
So watch the dough carefully and remember that weighted down dough may not rise as high as basic white wheat dough when ready to bake. :)
to your advice. I'll try to add some soaked grains to sourdough bread. And check Dabrownman's comments or advice.