Variety traits

Baking qualities of barley

Hordeum vulgare L.

Barley is not a bread-baking crop due to the lack of gluten. Its flour is used only as an additive at 5–20% to wheat flour to increase nutrient content, as exceeding this limit leads to a loss of shape retention and crumb stiffness.

In the reference 5 varieties crop Barley, where this is mentioned in the description.

The main technological characteristic of barley that hinders bread baking is the absence of a complete gluten complex, which is necessary for forming the structural framework of the dough. When barley flour is used in mixtures exceeding 20–30%, the volume, porosity, and shape retention of the finished products inevitably decrease, while the crumb becomes dense and stiff.

In scientific research, the technological suitability of barley additives is evaluated by amylographic indices, where a range of 350–650 A.U. is considered optimal for interaction with yeast. However, for agronomy and breeding, baking qualities are not a target criterion, as the breeding of the crop is focused on parameters for malting, milling, or feed purposes.

General information about the subject — on the page Baking quality.

Sources8

Varieties of Barley mentioned in the description

Selection based on the description text, not on official evaluation: these data are absent from registers. For specific variety details, please refer to its profile.