The intention behind this bake was to use enough barley to impart a distinct barley flavor, while having a low enough % to retain a good crumb. I made it 25% barley flour, which I milled from pearled barley from the supermarket (remainder was bread flour, except for some whole wheat in the starter). I also soaked some pearled barley overnight, and added it to the dough at 15%.
My verdict: I could barely taste the barley flour. If I decide to try this again, I would significantly raise the percentage. I did enjoy the soaked barley in the bread, although the grains that were on/in the outside of the loaf became quite hard in the oven, which was not particularly pleasant (they softened by the next day).
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I flaked the barley and then browned the flakes in butter first and then made a porridge with them. It was amazing how fragrant the bread was and how the barley taste came through. It smelled like the malt in a brewery in a sweet good way. I don't know if you have contemplated getting a flaker but you could see about it or else get some flaked barley and toast it then continue with either making a porridge or just add the flakes to the bread. I definitely think it is the toasting that gets the flavor you are searching for.
Your bread looks wonderful !! Love the crumb and thin crust. c
https://www.google.com/search?q=flaked+barley&oq=flaked+bar&aqs=chrome.0.0j69i57j69i60j0l3.5294j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Its encouraging to hear that you had success with getting lots of barley flavor. I don't think I have room right now for a flaker, but I could still try toasting--either before or after milling. I've been enjoying seeing your breads on the site!
the flaker I have is the Molino and it is quite small. As long as you soak the grains as Tom suggested to me and others and then let them partially dry they get really lovely when they go through the flaker. Anyway the toasting seems to be what brings out the flavor. Thank you for looking at my breads :) c
I saw barley flour at one of the Ethiopian markets in my neighborhood, so I figured I would try baking with it. Saw that you found 25% too low, so I went with 35% barley flour, 62% AP, 3% gluten. 80% hydration. It's delicious-wonderful aroma and creamy texture. Gluten development was difficult and not fully successful. Didn't get the oven spring I would like. Any ideas?
Pre-soak or cook the barley flour and let it sit overnight, and reduce the amount. Use bread flour to make up for some of the lack of gluten.
TomP
Do you mean like an autolyse or a tangzhong? Can you explain why those would help?
I have found (I'm not the only one) that soaking or scalding some of the whole-grain additions improves the flavor of the bread. You said the flavor of the barley barely came through, and this technique might help to bring out more flavor. I think that the time hydrated lets some enzyme(s) go to work and improve the flavors. Even when boiling water is poured over flour or bran, not all of the grains reach a very high temperature (if you don't use a really large amount of water), and I think this allows some of the enzymes avoid being denatured. That's a guess, but the results are real.
As an example, I made bread with added oatmeal in three ways: dry flakes mixed directly into the dough, flakes soaked overnight in water, and flakes scalded with boiling water the night before. The flavor improved in that order. Flaked oatmeal isn't barley flour but I think you will get an improvement in the flavor.
Toasting the barley, as trailrunner wrote, will probably bring out more flavor too. You could toast the flour and then soak or scald it, and probably get even more. That worked for me in a buckwheat bread.