Barley flour

Barley flour is a flour prepared from dried and ground barley.^[1] Barley flour is used to prepare barley bread and other breads, such as flat bread and yeast breads.^[1][2]

There are two general types of barley flour: coarse and fine.^[3] Barley groats are milled to make coarse barley flour, and pearl barley is milled to make fine barley flour.^[3]

Additionally, patent barley flour is a finer barley flour that is ground to a greater degree compared to fine barley flour.

Uses

Barley flour is used to prepare breads such as barley bread.^[4][5] It is sometimes added to wheat flour, creating a composite flour, which is used to prepare various breads.^[2] Its addition to wheat flour creates a darker-colored baked end-product, and also alters the flavor of the product.^[1][2] Barley flour is also used as an ingredient in some specialty foods.^[2]

Barley breading^{[clarification needed]} is another food product^{[further explanation needed]} prepared using barley flour, which can be prepared using pregelatinized barley flour and an additional product called barley crunch, similar to Grape-Nuts cereal.^[2]

• 
  A basic barley bread
• 
  Barley breads prepared using highland barley in Songpan County, Sichuan province, China

Malted barley flour

Malted barley flour is prepared from barley malt,^[2] which is barley that has undergone malting (partial germination [sprouting] followed by hot-air drying to stop germination). There are two kinds, diastatic and non-diastatic. Diastatic malt flour is used as a diastatic supplement for other bread flours that have low natural diastatic activity.^[2] Diastatic activity involves the conversion of starches into maltose (sugar).^[6][7] In baking, adding malted barley flour to wheat flour results in a moister product than would wheat flour alone.^[8] Malted barley flour that is rich in protein content is typically used in the food industry, while that which is poor in protein content is typically used to prepare a unique style of beer.^[2] While distatic malted barley flour is taste neutral, the non-distatic kind, sometimes referred to as malt flour, is used for its distinctive flavor. It has many uses, such as malted milk, and in baked goods, to give them a softer crumb, and to supplement the flavor of a malt loaf.^[2]

Patent barley flour

Patent barley flour is a finer flour that is ground to a greater degree compared to fine barley flour.^[9] It is prepared from milling barley that has its outer layers removed to a greater degree compared to pearl barley.^[9] Patent barley flour is used as an ingredient in infant foods.^[2][9]

See also

• Chalboribbang
  – Korean pancakes prepared using glutinous barley flour
• Flatbrød – a Norwegian bread prepared using barley flour, water and salt
• Raspeball – a Norwegian food made with Barley flour and Potatoes. often served with mashed Rutabaga, carrots, melted butter, bacon and meat
• Máchica – a flour made from ground toasted barley or other toasted grains
• Pinda – a rice ball of Hindu origin prepared using barley flour, ghee and black sesame seeds
• Pitepalt – prepared with barley flour and raw potatoes as primary ingredients
• Tsampa – a roasted flour prepared using barley flour, and sometimes wheat flour

References