Tip of the Passing Spare Moment- Barley

If you are suffering from a wheat allergy, as opposed to celiac disease, you may be able to tolerate barley. If so, your job just got a whole lot easier. Barley flour can be purchased at your local health food store (ask about ordering in bulk if this works for you) and it can replace wheat flour 1:1 in most recipes. I tend to add just a smidge of xanthan gum to help reduce crumbling, as barley contain's a considerably lower gluten content than wheat flour. It is similar to whole wheat cake or pastry flour and cannot be used to make a loaf of sandwich bread. The flavor is great, I prefer it to wheat in some sweets. When storing goods made with barley just leave out uncovered, as odd as that sounds. It seems to gather moisture more heavily than GF or wheat flour and will become soggy if sealed, but I think the taste and texture actually improve when left out overnight.

Just to clarify, though: Barley can only be used as a wheat substitute by those with an allergy to wheat. Those who are gluten intolerant, have celiac's disease, or are allergic to gluten should not consume barley because it does contain gluten.