Barley flour facts for kids

Barley flour is made from dried and ground barley, which is shown here.

Barley flour is a type of flour made by drying and grinding barley grains. People use it to make barley bread and other kinds of bread, like flatbreads and yeast breads.

There are two main kinds of barley flour: coarse and fine. Coarse barley flour comes from grinding barley groats (whole grains). Fine barley flour is made from pearl barley, which has had its outer layers removed. There's also a very fine type called patent barley flour, which is ground even more than regular fine barley flour.

What is Barley Flour Used For?

Barley flour is often used to bake breads, like barley bread. Sometimes, bakers mix it with wheat flour to create a special blend. When added to wheat flour, barley flour makes the baked goods darker and changes their taste. It's also an ingredient in some unique specialty foods.

You can also make a crunchy coating called barley breading using barley flour. This can be made with special pre-cooked barley flour and something called "barley crunch," which is a bit like a breakfast cereal.

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  A simple barley bread.

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  Breads made with highland barley in Songpan County, China.

What is Malted Barley Flour?

Malted barley flour can make malt loaf taste even better.

Malted barley flour is made from barley that has been "malted." This means the barley grains are allowed to sprout a little bit, and then they are dried with hot air to stop the sprouting.

There are two types of malted barley flour: diastatic and non-diastatic.

• Diastatic malt flour helps other bread flours that don't have enough natural enzymes. These enzymes turn starches into sugar (maltose). When you add diastatic malted barley flour to wheat flour, it helps make the baked product moister. Malted barley flour with lots of protein is often used in the food industry.
• Non-diastatic malt flour, sometimes just called malt flour, is used for its special flavor. It's used in things like malted milk and in baked goods to make them softer and to add a rich, malty taste, like in a malt loaf.

What is Patent Barley Flour?

Patent barley flour is a very fine flour. It's ground much more finely than regular fine barley flour. It's made from barley that has had most of its outer layers removed, even more than pearl barley. Because it's so fine and easy to digest, patent barley flour is often used as an ingredient in baby foods.

See also

In Spanish: Harina de cebada para niños