Barley Jelly
Ingredients
Directions
Make the barley base
Soak the pearl barley in warm water for 1 hour.
Boil the soaked barley, then keep it just about boiling for 3 hours.
Strain the mixture through a fine strainer into a scalded jug.
Cool and store
Cover loosely and cool rapidly in running water; store in a cool, airy place.
Make fresh every day.
Quicker method
Rub 2 tablespoons of Robinson's Barley into a paste with cold water, then stir in boiling water to make 1 pint.
Boil gently for 30 minutes, then adjust the volume to 1 pint.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Pearl barley
- Its starch thickens the liquid to form a jelly as it cooks and is strained.
- Robinson's barley
- Its barley starch thickens the water quickly, giving a jelly without the long simmer.
The step that matters
Keep the barley just about boiling for 3 hours. Gentle, sustained heat lets the barley starch fully swell and release, which sets the jelly. A hard rolling boil can scorch the bottom and cloud the liquid, while too little heat leaves it thin.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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