Sourdough barley bread is dense, low-rise, and tastes wonderful. I'll make it repeatedly. No, it's not like wheat bread. The taste is different but quite good--just the thing to toast and eat plain, because it's got lots of flavor. Nonetheless, spreading a little butter on the bread would make it even better, or, my preference, top it with cheese. Barley bread and a bit of cheddar make a great breakfast. I bake the barley breads in the air fryer, which gives them a crunchy crust. You can certainly bake them in a regular oven if you prefer. If you do, set the oven at 375 and bake the breads for about 30 minutes or until a cooking thermometer reads about 190 degrees.
Sourdough Barley Bread -- Makes 2 Little Breads
1 cup of starter
1/2 cup of white whole-wheat flour (or use only barley)
1 egg
2 tablespoons of plain yogurt
1 tablespoon of honey
1 cup of barley flour
Mix all the ingredients above together in a large bowl until everything is fully incorporated (I do this by hand, which is just fine). Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and let it sit for at least an hour (I let mine go for about 6 hours to let the flavor develop). Add:
1 teaspoon of salt
1/4 cup of barley flour
Knead the batter well for about 5 minutes, adding up to 1/4 more barley flour, if necessary. You should have a slightly tacky dough, not wet, and not dry. Form two softball-sized loaves and place each loaf in a 5-6-inch round pan spritzed with non-stick cooking spray. Let the loaves rise until they increase in size by about 1/3-1/2--depending on the temperature of your kitchen, about 2 hours. Bake the loaves, one-at-a-time, in the air fryer at 320 degrees for about 25 minutes or until a kitchen thermometer registers about 190 degrees. Let the loaves cool in their pans for at least 5 minutes before removing them to cool completely.
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