Barley Water
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the barley
Wash the pearl barley well in cold water.
Boil the barley in ½ cup of water for a short time, then discard this water as it will look reddish.
Cook
Add 2 quarts of water to the barley and boil until reduced to 1 quart.
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 and soluble compounds dissolve into the water, giving the drink body and a mild grain flavour.
The step that matters
Discarding the first boil. The short first boil pulls out colour and surface impurities from the barley. Pouring that water away before the main boil keeps the finished drink clear and mild-tasting.
“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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