This Barley bread is rustic, hearty, and crunchy! It is a nutrient-dense alternative to refined wheat that inevitably finds its way into our homes and diets!
History of Barley
Barley is a grain that dates back some 10,000 years. It originated in Ethiopia and Southeast Asia and was the grain of choice in Ancient Greece and Rome. In fact, athletes in both cultures were known to use barley in their diets because of its strengthening effects.
Barley was the grain of choice for The Prophet Mohammed, who actually was the inspiration for me even trying to make barley bread in the first place!
Why you will love it:
- It is super quick to make and nutrient-dense.
- Barley has been shown to lower cholesterol
- Barley helps lower the risk of type 2 diabetes
- Barley has been shown to prevent gallstones
- Barley populates the gut with good bacteria
- Barley is fiber-rich and helps keep you regular.
How to make this rustic flat bread
I had no idea one could make bread out of barley. Growing up I only saw barley being consumed with lemon as lemon barley water. But the process is pretty simple with just a few ingredients:
- Barley flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Olive oil
- Water
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Before you begin, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Next, whisk together all the dry ingredients, then add the olive oil and water. With a wooden spatula, combine everything until a soft ball of dough forms. Next, you will roll out the dough onto a parchment-lined surface. I have used my hands in the past, but you can use a rolling pin too. Just roll it out until it’s about an inch thick. I like to score it with a butter knife into eight triangles and then prick it with a fork for the sake of design. Bake for 20 minutes. The bread is done once you see a golden crust.
How to eat barley bread
Barley bread is excellent fresh out of the oven with a pat of butter and a drizzle of honey. You can eat it for breakfast or even afternoon tea in place of refined white wheat bread and sugar-laden cookies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Hulled barley is better in that it is a whole grain with just the inedible outer husk removed. Pearl barley has the husk and bran removed, and it is polished to give it a shinier appearance. Pearl barley is less nutritious but yields a finer flour.
I have yet to make my own barley flour. I have always just bought it at Whole Foods, where you can find it in the bulk goods section.
However, if you do want to make yours at home, I have found this extensive article that you can reference.
I don’t imagine why not. In the past, I have added cranberries to the dough, resulting in a sweeter bread. The last time I made it, my husband suggested I make it sweeter by adding the honey to the dough instead of after, so that is what I will try next.
I have not, however, tried adding cheese or anything savory to the dough, so I do not know how that would turn out. Let me know in the comments how it turns out if you do!
More breakfast recipes to try
If you try this recipe, I’d really appreciate it if you could rate it! And let me know in the comments how it worked out for you. If you are on social media, share your pics with me on Instagram by tagging me @eatdrinkpure so I can see and repost them on my stories!
Barley Bread
Ingredients
- 2 C Barley Flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ C olive oil
- 1/2 C water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a medium sized bowl whisk together barley flour, baking powder and salt till well incorporated.
- Add to that, the olive oil and water and mix till you achieve a doughy consistency.
- Roll out the dough onto a parchments lined flat surface till it is about 1/2 inch thick.
- Transfer with the parchment onto a cookie sheet and score into eighths (in triangles) using a butter knife.
- Prick all over with a fork and put into the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
- Take out of oven, spread butter, drizzle with honey and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Use fresh barley flour for best results.
- Start with 1/2 cup of room temperature water and increase by tablespoon increments as needed.
- There are many ways you can add in dried fruit and nuts to this basic recipe. Cranberries are a great addition, giving the bread a more fruity flavor.
- Don't expect a big rise when baking this bread, the absence of yeast will give it a more flatbread look and taste.
Jane Werner says
I tried your recipe differently 3X and they all turned out great. Instead of olive oil, first time with avocado oil, second time with melted butter and third time with bacon fat.The last time I did it in the food processor and it turned out fast and perfect. This is my go-to barley bread recipe from now on. Thank you so much for posting this.
Shah Zeeshan says
Aww this is so good to hear Jane! Thank you for leaving a review and rating!
Mimi says
I’m new to baking and this seems easy enough for me to try. I just thought I’d leave a comment while I’m looking to insure you get credit for showing me this. Thank you so much! Have a great, great day. I’ll be scouting your other recipes too. 🩷
Zeeshan says
Welcome Mimi, so kind of you! thank you and happy cooking!
Lamyku says
Wholesome bread and delicious!
I ground my own barley flour from pot barley. The recipe is simple but I used an additional 1/8 cup of water to make the dough. The taste of the flat bread is slightly sweet where the sweetness should have come from the barley itself.
I am thinking of using the dough as a pie dough in my next trial. Do you think it would work or not?
Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Zeeshan says
Thanks for your review! I haven’t tried the recipe as a crust but it’s worth a try, perhaps spread it out thinner? Let me know if you try it!
Nidhi says
Could you please mention the ingredients in metric…I am so eager to try barley bread. Your recipe seems very simple n so interesting.
What should be the consistency of flour n water mixter? I have only made whole wheat flour bread so not really sure about this…
Thanks
Zeeshan says
Hi Nidhi, the flour and water mixture consistency should be much like wheat dough actually. I will keep in mind to share metric measurements too! Thanks for the suggestion! You can watch the video I have linked above:) Hope you try it! Let me know how it goes!
Zeeshan says
Oh how wonderful is that!
Jacquie says
Hi, has anyone tried making 8 individual flat breads lika a pita and baking them?
Zeeshan says
Hi! i have not but you can try! Let me know how it goes. Just fair warning, these are rustic and don’t rise like a pita would!
Saima says
Salaam,
Its not just that our rasool PBUH loved barley-if you watch Hamza Yusuf’s video on foods of our prophet- you will learn that our prophet never ate wheat in his entire life!!!!!! His daily bread was made of barley. When I learned that, I completely left wheat and now only eat barley bread daily.
Zeeshan says
I did not know that! Thanks for sharing:)
AS says
I was wondering how you make the barley flour. Did you grind the barley. If so, did you use hulled or pearl barley.
Zeeshan says
I actually bought the flour from a store but I imagine you could grind the barley hulled or pearl and get the flour:)
Lisa Girling says
Would this recipe work with some added grated cheese in it? I used to make an apple cheese bread and it was wonderful but time consuming. This sounds so lovely for breakfast and I thought a little cheese in it and topped with apple butter or jelly while still warm . . . . Mmmmmmm.
Zeeshan says
Never tried it but I don’t see why not, let me know how it goes if you do:)
D says
Hello, if I were not to add baking powder to it, will it still be palatable? Jazakh Allah Khair
Zeeshan says
Hi, yes it will be palatable but it wouldn’t rise as much. Baking powder is a leaving agent meaning it enlarges the bubbles in the batter. This gives the rise that we want in baked goods. Hope that helps:)
Chelsea says
Prophet Muhammad used to eat barley bread also! I definitely can’t wait to try out this recipe, in shaa Allah <3
Zeeshan says
yes Chelsea! That’s what makes it worth the try! Hope you do and write back here to tell me what you think!