Barley Water
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the barley
Wash the pearl barley in cold water until free from dust.
Boil the barley in 1 quart of water for a few minutes.
Strain and discard the water.
Simmer
Boil the barley in 4.5 pints of water until the liquid is reduced by half.
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
- Starch and flavor from the grain thicken the liquid and give the drink body.
The step that matters
Reducing the liquid by half. Simmering until the liquid is halved concentrates the barley's starch and flavor. Stopping too early gives a weak drink, while boiling too long makes it too strong.
“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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