Here in Canada, we grow an abundance of fibre-rich foods. A great source of fibre is barley. Yes, you can drink foods made from barley, but they contain no fibre at all. Cook a pot of beef and barley soup and your body will be doing a happy dance. Try cooking a pot of barley and using it as a whole grain to serve with dinner instead of rice or potatoes. Barley is loaded with soluble fibre and is a bonus for anyone trying to add more fibre to their eating style.
Barley Varieties
Quick Cooking:
Quick cooking barley is made usually from hull-less barley that is precooked in water and dried. This reduces the cooking time to just 10 minutes on the stovetop.
Whole Grain or Hulled:
Also called dehulled barley, it has been minimally processed to remove the tough, inedible outer hull leaving most of the bran layer intact. As the bran, endosperm and germ are left intact it is considered a whole grain.
Barley Flour:
Barley flour has a coarse texture and nutty flavour that lends itself well to hearty baked goods like spice cake, molasses cookies or artisan breads. Barley flour does contain gluten although, not as much as wheat flour. Therefore, to make bread that will rise properly, barley flour is usually blended with wheat flour. You can start to use it by replacing a quarter to half of the all-purpose flour in your baked recipes with barley flour. Barley flour does have a shorter shelf life than wheat flour, so store it in the refrigerator or freezer to maximize freshness.
Pot:
Pot barley has been lightly polished in a pearling machine to remove the hull and some of the bran layer. It is tan in colour and because most of the bran layer is intact, pot barley is considered a whole grain.
Pearl:
Pearl barley has been heavily polished in a pearling machine to remove the hull and the bran layer. It is slightly smaller and white in colour compared to pot barley. Technically, pearl barley is not considered a whole grain because the bran has been removed. However, the fibre in barley is distributed through the kernel, so pearl and pot barley still contain a lot of healthy fibre.
Hull-less:
Hull-less barley has a loose outer hull that generally falls off during harvest. This reduces processing and ensures that the bran is intact. It is a whole grain.
Barley Grits:
Similar to steel-cut oats. Barley grits are made from cutting the barley kernel into several pieces. Grits from hulled or hull -less barley are considered a whole grain. If made from pearled barley they are not a whole grain.
Barley Flakes:
Just like rolled oats barley flakes are created by steaming, rolling and drying barley kernels. Barley flakes remain a niche product and are often only available in health food or special food stores.
Wheat in the Kitchen