Wisdom Widnesday!!

Barley

I want to talk more in detail about some of the flours that I use. Today for our Wisdom Wednesday I am going to talk about Barley Flour. Barley flour is a fine powder you get when you mill or grind the grain barley. IBarley is a grain that is grown though out the world. It is drought resistant and cold resistant so it can be grown all over in many different areas. When buying barley there are three common types, malted, hulled, and pearled. Malted barley is when they allow whole barley to spout and then rapidly dried. When barley goes through this process it chemically alters the grain. It is also the first step in the brewing process. Hulled barley is when they have removed the hull from the barley. When this happens you can not sprout it at home but you can mill or grind it in your own grinder to make flour. Pearled barley is when they have removed the hull and then they steam it to remove the kernels and then it is polished. You can also grind this at home. Some of the nutritional value is lost in the pearled barley, so I like to use hulled barley more. Barley doesn't have as much gluten at wheat, but it does have some gluten. So it isn't good for those who have celiacs but fine for those who are gluten intolerant. Or if you just want to add more nutrition to your diet.
Speaking of nutrition, barley contains 8 essential amino acids. Eating whole grain barley can regulate your blood sugar for up to 10 hours. One half cup of barley flour contains 7 grams of fiber! White all-purpose flour only contains 2 grams of fiber. Barley contains 2 times as many fatty acids as wheat does. It has vitamin E, wheat doesn't have any. Barley has more thiamin, riboflavin, and lysine than wheat does so it is more of a balanced protein. For more nutrition information on barley go here. I like the nutty flavor of barley. I don't use it in everything but it is great for quick breads and pancakes. So if you haven't tried barley, try some. It is a great way to add a little more nutrition to your diet! Happy Healthier Eating!!

Sources:

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-barley-flour.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wik/Barley

http://www.barleyfoods.org/products.html

http://dc89vintage.blogspot.com/2009/10/beautiful-barley.html