Barley

An ancient cereal grain used for food, animal feed, and malting. It contains gluten-related proteins (hordeins), so it isn't safe for celiac disease, but those proteins don't form a bread dough, so barley flour is usually blended with wheat. Malted barley is the source of diastatic and non-diastatic malt, which bakers add for enzyme activity, color, and flavor.

By Henry Hunter · Updated October 1, 2026

Henry's notes from the bench

• A little barley flour, around 10 to 20 percent, gives bread a mild, sweet, earthy flavor without wrecking the structure.