Barley Water
Ingredients
Directions
Wash the barley in two waters.
Combine the washed barley with the cold water in a pot.
Cook slowly until the liquid is reduced by half.
Strain the mixture.
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
- Barley
- Starch and husk compounds from the grain give the liquid body and a mild, grainy flavour as it cooks.
The step that matters
Cook slowly until the liquid is reduced by half. Cooking gently keeps the barley from scorching on the bottom of the pot and lets its flavour and starch extract evenly. High heat risks burning the grains and giving the drink a bitter, scorched taste before the liquid has reduced enough.
“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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