Try this Barley Cake recipe
- Carbohydrate 534.803063576541 g
- Cholesterol 48.0000000405768 mg
- Fat 26.2255635385208 g
- Fiber 41.2020715619631 g
- Protein 66.6510483006032 g
- Saturated Fat 10.7767642081865 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (1110g)
- Sodium 2827.77658720693 mg
- Sugar 493.600992014578 g
- Trans Fat 3.68339744169636 g
- Calories 2525 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350F/175C.
- Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
- Spoon into a greased bread pan.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes.
Traditional pound cakes rely on a foundation of refined flour and butter to achieve a tender crumb, but this rustic loaf takes an entirely different path by incorporating whole grains and pre-cooked legumes into a dense batter. While standard baking formulas depend on gluten networks trapping air from chemical leaveners, this specific combination of wholemeal flour, wheatgerm, and heavy grains creates a formidable challenge for the home baker who expects a light and airy texture.
- Hydrate the wholemeal flour thoroughly by letting the batter rest for ten minutes before transferring it to the greased bread pan, because coarse bran requires extra time to absorb the milk.
- Ensure the pre-cooked pearl barley is fully drained of excess surface moisture before folding it into the bowl to prevent pockets of gummy dough around the grains.
- Calibrate the oven temperature precisely to 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 175 degrees Celsius, as an oven running even twenty degrees too hot will burn the high-sugar exterior before the heavy interior sets.
- Test for doneness at the fifty-minute mark by inserting a wooden skewer into the center of the loaf, looking for clean removal without wet crumbs adhering to the wood.
- Store the cooled loaf wrapped tightly in parchment paper at room temperature for up to three days, or slice and freeze individual portions immediately to prevent rapid staling.
Baking with alternative grains demands strict adherence to timing and moisture control. Mastering these specific variables transforms a dense kitchen experiment into a reliably sliceable loaf.
