How to Cook Barley
This method is so quick and easy, after soaking your barley you will have all the preparation done in 5 minutes and the cooking time for this recipe is just one hour. The best thing about it is that there are next to no ingredients, all you need is the barley and you are pretty much set. That means less time in the kitchen and just one pot to wash up... (now that is the best news I have heard all day).
Ingredients
- 3 cups of water or stock if desired
- 1 cup of barley preferably hulled barley
- Sea salt
Instructions
- Soaking your barley is a great way to get it cooking faster, leaving it soft and tender but not only that, there are some health benefits to doing so too. Soaking your barley in water overnight, or for a few hours in a bowl before you come to cook it helps the complex sugars, tannins, and gluten to breakdown making them easier for our bodies to digest.
- Boil the 3 cups of water (or stock) in a medium-sized pan. Add the cup of hulled barley to the pan and then reduce the temperature to low and cook for 50 to 55 minutes.
- Remove the pot from the heat and allow it to sit for 10 minutes then use a colander to drain off the excess water.
- Add a pinch of sea salt and mix together. Prepare a tasty side dish and serve.
Notes
*Note* if you are cooking pearl barley reduce the cooking time to 45 minutes. If you did not pre-soak your barley increase cooking time to 1 ½ to 2 hours.